Railsplitters sweep Eureka in
doubleheader
[March 30, 2026]
The Lincoln Railsplitters swept the Eureka Hornets in a
doubleheader on Saturday at Mike Curry Field.
Kane Komnick went the distance in game one, earning the 3-2 win over
Eureka.
Grady Rutledge was on the mound in game two and as the winning
pitcher he helped the Railsplitters to a 6-3 victory.
Game One
Kane Komnick, the younger brother to senior, Karson Komnick, made
his first start of the season Saturday morning for the
Railsplitters. Komnick gave up three singles and a walk in the first
inning and that led to the only two runs of the game for the
Hornets.
Komnick would allow three more singles the rest of the game but the
Hornets were never a real threat to score again. Komnick faced 27
batters, allowing just one walk and striking out four batters. He
threw 83 pitches over seven innings and 57 pitches were for strikes.
A great outing by the sophomore.
The Railsplitters even turned a double play in the top of the fourth
inning for Komnick.
The Hornets 2-0 lead stood until the bottom of the third inning when
the Railsplitters plated three runs thanks to Owen Comstock’s big
hit.
With one out in the Railsplitters half of the third inning, Cooper
Koehler and Karson Komnick reached base on errors. After Grady
Rutledge grounded into a fielder’s choice, Austin Lucas drew a walk
to load the bases. Owen Comstock cleared the bases with a double to
left that put Lincoln up 3-2.
Both teams put up goose eggs the remainder of the game and Lincoln
won game one 3-2.
Karson Komnick, Owen Comstock and Chase March had Lincoln’s three
hits.
Brody Wartz was the losing pitcher for Eureka. He tossed six
innings, allowing three hits and three runs. None of his runs were
earned. He walked two and struck out eight batters. He faced 25
batters and threw 84 pitches, of which 54 were strikes.
Jacob Shulz led the Hornets at the plate by going 3-for-3 with a run
driven in.
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Game Two
Grady Rutledge pitched a terrific game against the Hornets in game
two. The freshman was impressive on the mound, tossing five and
one-third innings. He gave up four hits and three runs. He walked
three and struck out seven batters. Rutledge threw 77 pitches and 44
were for strikes. He faced 23 batters and only hit one.
Tate Aue earned the save for the Railsplitters. Aue
worked one and two-thirds innings, giving up one hit and striking
out one. Aue faced six batters and 11 of his 14 pitches were
strikes. An exceptional outing by Aue in the reliever’s role.
Lincoln took a 2-0 lead over Eureka in the bottom of the second
inning. Chase March had a single in the inning and Cooper Koehler
had an RBI double to drive in the first run. Kane Komnick scored the
second run on a pickoff attempt at second.
The Hornets got a run back in the top of the fourth inning.
Karson Komnick’s two-run single in the bottom of the fourth inning
gave Lincoln a 4-1 lead.
A two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning by John Martin
made it a 4-3 ballgame.
The Railsplitters added two insurance runs in the bottom of the
sixth inning. Kane Komnick started the inning with a single to
right. Following a strikeout of Koehler, Karson Komnick was hit by a
pitch. Rutledge drove in a run on the fielder’s choice to the
shortstop. After a single by Lucas, Comstock’s ground ball was
mishandled by the third baseman for an error and Rutledge scored the
final run of the game.
Lincoln held on to win 6-3 and sweep the Hornets, who finished in
third place last season in the IHSA Class 2A State Baseball Finals
with a 35-5 record.
Eureka falls to 3-2 on the season.
The Railsplitters (5-2) will play at Monticello today at 4:30 p.m.
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