COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Sophomore Meredith Johnson (Kenly, N.C.) went 4-for-8 with two home runs and five RBI to help the Lady Railsplitters (2-2) split a two-game set against a pair of Peach Belt Conference opponents on the first day of the CSU Cougar Classic on Saturday in Columbus, Ga.

Lincoln Memorial and Georgia College were tied at one after three innings in Saturday's first game, but the Bobcats combined for five runs in the fourth and fifth innings to defeat the Lady Railsplitters 6-2. Against Montevallo in the day's second game, the Lady Railsplitters forced extra innings with two runs in the top of the seventh before unleashing four runs in the ninth to capture an 8-7 victory. 

Game One: Georgia College 6, Lincoln Memorial 2

The Bobcats struck first, taking a 1-0 lead on Abi LeRoy's run-scoring double in the bottom of the first. The Lady Railsplitters erased that run two innings later, as Jennifer Moose (Statesville, N.C.) singled and scored on a double by Emilee Solomon (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the top of the third.

Georgia College went scoreless in the home half of the third and the Lady Railsplitters followed suit in the top of the fourth, but the Bobcats broke the game open in their trip to the plate in the fourth.

LeRoy broke the 1-1 tie with an RBI single to right field, while Taylor Campbell drove in another with an RBI ground out. Kristen Humphries made it a three-run game with a single to second base.

The Lady Railsplitters went down in order in the fifth and Georgia College added two more runs in that same inning. LeRoy posted her third run-scoring hit of the ballgame, driving in two with a double into the gap in right-center field.

Meredith Johnson broke LMU's scoring drought with a two-out, solo home run in the top of the sixth, but that would be the only run the Lady Railsplitters would get the rest of the way.

Georgia College starter Marisa Boyette improved to 6-0 on the season after limiting the Lady Railsplitters to five hits and two earned runs in seven innings of work She recorded 14 of her 21 outs via the strikeout.

Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) fell to 1-1 on the year as she surrendered six hits and three earned runs with two strikeouts in four innings of work. Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) tossed the final two innings in relief, allowing three hits and three runs.

Solomon led the Lady Railsplitters offensively with two hits and an RBI. Johnson went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 8, Montevallo 7 (9 innings)

Johnson drove in a run with a single in the top of the first to give the Lady Railsplitters a 1-0 edge, but that lead was short lived as the Falcons put three runs on the boards in the home half of that inning with a solo home run by Vining and a two-run single by Thompson.

Lincoln Memorial got a run back in the third as Amanda Snow (Knoxville, Tenn.) elicited a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.

After three mostly inconsequential innings, an error in the infield allowed Montevallo to extend its lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth.

Looking to ward off the loss, the Lady Railsplitters battled to stay alive in the top of the seventh. Moose and Solomon led off the frame with single, and Kelly Dreier (Knoxville, Tenn.) moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. That's where Johnson came up clutch, tying the game with a two-run single back up the middle. A Jaclyn Cokeroft (Longwood, Fla.) single moved the potential winning run into scoring position with one out, but an infield fly and a fly out to center field ended the threat.

Davila doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but a foul out, a strikeout and a ground out sent the game into extra innings.

After a scoreless eighth from both the Lady Railsplitters and Falcons, Lincoln Memorial exploded for four runs in the top of the ninth. Johnson made it a 6-4 game with a two-run home run , while Snow and Teddi Collins (Germantown, Ohio) drove in run with back-to-back knocks.

The Falcons nearly rallied from that four-run hole in the bottom of the ninth. Vining singled in a run, while Mentzer brought in another with a single. Abounassar brought Montevallo to within one on an RBI ground out and moved the potential tying run over to third base. But the next batter bounced out to end the game.

Samantha Smith grinded through all nine innings in the circle, allowing 11 hits and three earned runs with six strikeouts. She picked up her first win of the season, improving to 1-1.

Johnson accounted for five runs, scoring one and driving in four more with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate. Cokeroft went 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Collins was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The Lady Railsplitters complete the CSU Cougar Classic tomorrow, squaring off against host Columbus State (11:30 a.m.) and Young Harris (2 p.m.).