HARROGATE, TENN. – The Cobra baseball team split its South Atlantic Conference double-header with the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters on Saturday (April 5) afternoon. Coker lost the first game 6-5, and won game two 6-4.
In the first game of the day the Cobras took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Coker held the 1-0 advantage until the bottom of the fourth when the Railsplitters plated three runs, taking a 3-1 lead. The Cobras regained the lead with four runs in the top of the fifth for a 5-3 advantage. The score remained unchanged until LMU scored three runs in bottom of the ninth; including a two-run walk-off home run to earn the 6-5 win.
Andrew Goot (1-4) was slated with the loss after allowing three runs on two hits in an inning and two-thirds of work on the hill.
Ernie Kirkwood and Sammy Song led the way for the Navy and Yellow at the plate with three hits each. Kirkwood also drove in two runs on a double. Jarren Donato collected two hits and drove in a run, while Will Winslow had a pair of RBIs with a double.
In game two, Coker once again jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to an RBI double by Kirkwood. The lead was short lived as LMU plated two runs in the bottom half of the inning to make it a 2-1 game. After a scoreless second inning, Coker reclaimed the lead with an RBI single by Fico Kondla and a two-run single by Jack Leech in third. An RBI single by T.J. Giczkowski gave the Cobras a 5-2 advantage in the top of the fourth. The Railsplitters cut the lead to just one with a run in both the fourth and fifth innings. Another RBI double by Kirkwood in the top of the seventh gave the Cobras some breathing room, 6-4. Goot then shut the door on the Railsplitters with a scoreless seventh.
Alex Hernandez (2-5) earned the win on the mound. He scattered eight hits, allowed three runs and had a strikeout in four innings of work. Goot (4) picked up the save allowing one hit in one inning on the mound.
Kondla and Giczkowski finished the game with three hits and an RBI each, while Kirkwood drove in two runs on a pair of doubles. Leech also drove in two runs and was 1-for-3 at the plate. Donato picked up two more hits and scored two runs as well.
The Cobras and the Railsplitters will complete their three-game SAC series on Sunday (April 6) with a single nine-inning game at 1 p.m.