NEWBERRY – A ninth-inning rally fell a run short for Newberry as Lincoln Memorial escaped the Smith Road Complex with a 3-2 win in a South Atlantic Conference series opener Friday night.
Trailing 3-1 entering the inning, Colin Allman crushed a leadoff home run, his team-leading sixth of the season, to pull the Wolves (11-13, 4-6 SAC) within one. Derek Olenchuk singled to center on the next pitch and was moved into scoring position by Ben Herring on a sacrifice bunt.
Lincoln Memorial (17-7, 5-5 SAC) starter Ethan Elliot, the league's leader in innings pitched and strikeouts, got the second out of the inning on strikes, then was lifted for right-hander Chase Randolph to face fellow right-hander Tyler White. White jumped on the first pitch and lifted a fly ball to right center that was corralled by the Railsplitters, giving Randolph his second save of the season.
The Railsplitters used late-innings heroics of their own to take the lead in the eighth inning. Second baseman Joe Stucky reached on an error before a Tyler Adams single and another error put two in scoring position with two outs for Timmy Wages. The LMU third baseman turned on a 2-0 offering from Estridge, lifting his seventh home run of the season to left field and give the Railsplitters the lead.
The three unearned runs spoiled a gutsy effort from Estridge, who lowered his ERA nearly a full point to 3.48 despite falling to 1-3 on the year. He took a shutout into the eighth inning and located 73 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
Estridge totaled only four strikeouts, but came up with two in back-to-back fashion to end the seventh with Lincoln Memorial threatening. The Railsplitters moved two into scoring position with one out on a walk and a double in the frame.
But Estridge was up to the task, striking out designated hitter Mason Ewers before mowing down catcher Dalton Dedas on three pitches to escape the jam unharmed. Charlie Fessler was impressive in his 1.1 innings of work, striking out the side in the ninth inning to keep the Wolves within striking distance.
White and Allman each went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Wolves offensively. White doubled down the right field line with two out and nobody on in the second and came home two pitches later on Chase Barbary's single to center. Allman's sixth-inning single extended his reached-base streak to a whopping 26 games dating back to last March.
The win gave Lincoln Memorial its ninth consecutive victory over Newberry dating back to the 2014 season.
The teams will settle the series with a doubleheader tomorrow at the Smith Road Complex beginning at 1:00 p.m.
