HARROGATE, Tenn. - The SVSU Baseball team posted a split on Saturday (Mar. 18) at Lincoln Memorial University in the opening doubleheder of a three-game weekend series. The Cardinals fell by a 16-6 margin in the opener before rebounding for a 6-3 victory in the nightcap. 

Game One

In the opener, SVSU trailed 3-1 after the first three innings of play, with the lone run coming from a Jason Clark sacrifice fly that plated Nate Blackwell.

The home team, Lincoln Memorial, held a 16-1 edge heading into the ninth inning of the first game.

That's when the Cardinals went for a five-run frame, using a Colton Brooks RBI triple to get it started. He scored Gerrit Eding on the hit. Connor Sonnier followed with an RBI single to score Brooks, Blackwell had an RBI single to plate Austin Koin, cutting the deficit to 16-3. Adam Fitzgibbon would later score Sonnier on an infield single and a Chad Carson fielder's choice scored Blackwell for the team's final run. 

Inside the Boxscore

• Four SVSU players had two hits in the first game.
• Blackwell had a pair of hits and scored twice as well, adding an RBI. 
• Sonnier added two base knocks with a run scored and RBI.
• Fitzgibbon and Wilson each had two hits, with Fitzgibbon adding an RBI. 
• Clark, Carson and Brooks had the RBI for Saginaw Valley. 
• Scott Sency took the loss on the hill, allowing nine runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts. 

Game Two

In the second contest, the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st when Brendan Harrison ripped an RBI single to score Carson. 

A three-run top of the 3rd would propel the visitors to a 4-0 lead, as Clark began the inning's scoring with a home run over the center field wall. Craig Wilson then scored Fitzgibbon with an RBI double and Harrison later scored Wilson with another RBI single. 

After Lincoln Memorial went for two runs in the bottom of the 3rd, Saginaw Valley responded with another two runs in the top of the 4th inning to make the score 6-2. Clark scored the first run on a wild pitch and a Carson RBI single would end the scoring for SVSU, as he scored Fitzgibbon. 

The Railsplitters had another single run in the home half of the 6th, but the Cardinals would close-out for the 6-3 victory in the nightcap.

Inside the Boxscore

• Harrison was 3-4 with two RBI in the victory. 
• Wilson had two hits with an RBI and run scored.
• Clark had two hits, a pair of runs scored and the RBI on the home run. 
• Fitzgibbon went 2-4 with two runs scored.
• Trevor Friday picked up his second victory of the season, working 5.0 innings with just two runs on two hits, striking-out four batters and walking three. 
• Jake Tarbell notched his third save of the season, working a scoreless 1.2 innings to close-out the contest. 

Up Next...

The teams will play a single, nine-inning game on Sunday as the rubber match of the series. SVSU has won four of its last five games. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. in Tennessee.

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