Baseball Game Preview: Lincoln Railsplitters vs. Clinton Maroons

The Lincoln Railsplitters will head out to face off against the Clinton Maroons at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Lincoln let Peoria Notre Dame stack four runs on them in the second inning on Thursday but luckily Lincoln prevailed anyway. The Railsplitters had just enough and edged out the Irish 8-7. The win was familiar territory for the Railsplitters, who have now won three contests in a row.

Meanwhile, Clinton posted their closest victory since April 18th on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-9 win over Central A & M. The Maroons haven't had any issues with the Raiders recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.

Cole Fentress was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Clinton: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 9-12 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Josh Bass, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.

They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Clinton lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. They are 2-1 when they post two or more home runs.

Lincoln's record now sits at 9-14. As for Clinton, the win got them back to even at 12-12.

Lincoln came up short against Clinton when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 4-1. Can the Railsplitters avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.