GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) chucked a complete-game gem to help the Lady Railsplitters (9-11, 1-1 SAC) shake off a four-game losing skid and split their South Atlantic Conference opening doubleheader against the Tusculum Pioneers (12-10, 2-2 SAC) in Greeneville, Tenn. on Wednesday.
 
Lincoln Memorial captured a 4-2 win in the opening game, but the Pioneers bounced back and handed the Lady Railsplitters a 2-1 loss in the finale.
 
The Lady Railsplitters got it going early in game one as Emilee Solomon (Knoxville, Tenn.), Kelly Dreier (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Ashlea Hunter (Woodruff, S.C.) singled to load the bases with one out in the top of the first. Amanda Snow (Knoxville, Tenn.) plated the first run of the ballgame with a single back up the middle. Megan Tice (Orlando, Fla.) accounted for the big knock of the inning, though, driving in two runs with a clutch two-out, two-run single to right field.
 
That would be all the run support Taylor needed, but the Lady Railsplitters tacked on another run in the top of the seventh, as Kristen McAndrew (Statesville, N.C.) reached on an error by the Pioneers first baseman and later scored on single by Solomon.
 
The Pioneers were only able to produce one run off of Taylor before the seventh frame rolled around, and that came in the bottom of the second when Jenna Restivo walked, advanced to second on a hit-by-pitch and scored on a Brooke Rhodes single.
 
Tusculum managed one other scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fourth, putting runners on first and third via a catcher's interference and a single, but Taylor forced Nicole Ball to ground out to first baseman Meredith Johnson (Kenly, N.C.) to end the inning.
 
Rhodes cut the final margin to 4-2 with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, but Taylor drew back-to-back groundouts and a strikeout after the long ball to dust off her complete game.
 
Taylor allowed just four hits and two earned runs, striking out six batters and walking one over her seven-inning start. 60 of Taylor's 90 pitches went for strikes, as Rhodes' dinger was the only Tusculum hit to go for extra bases.
 
Snow and Solomon each posted a pair of singles, while Tice drove in two runs to lead all players in that department.
 
The Lady Railsplitters jumped out to an early lead again in the second game of the afternoon, grabbing a 1-0 edge after Dreier walked and scored on a double by Johnson in the top of the first.
 
Taylor's solid outing in the opener didn't carry over, though, as the Pioneers forced the freshman right-hander out of the game just four batters into the bottom of the first. Carolyn Williamson tripled to lead off the inning and scored on an infield error to knot the game at 1-1. Rhodes then doubled to right center to put runners on second and third with only one out, prompting head coach Natalie Layden to make the move to Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) on the mound. The first batter she faced, Cayla Cecil, drove in a run with a single to right, but Smith elicited a groundout and a strikeout in the next two at-bats to limit the Pioneers to those two runs.
 
Smith was dominant after allowing that run-scoring single to Cecil, relinquishing only three hits without a run over the next five frames. Smith finished with 5 2/3 innings pitched, five strikeouts, one walk and a no decision.
 
The Lady Railsplitters had a number of opportunities to rally behind Smith and tie the game down the stretch.
 
Tice doubled with two outs in the top of the fourth, but Savannah Couch (Colonial Heights, Va.) flew out to right to end the inning. Hunter doubled with one out in the top of the fifth, but was erased with an 8-4 double play after getting caught off the bag during a fly out to center field. Johnson singled with one out in the top of the sixth before a fielder's choice and a fly out kept the Lady Railsplitters scoreless once more.
 
Tusculum starter Eliza Davis kept the Lady Railsplitters in check, surrendering just six hits with one earned run in the complete-game performance. Taylor was saddled with the loss for the Lady Railsplitters, dropping to 5-6 on the year with two runs and two hits allowed in 1/3 of an inning.
 
Johnson went 2-for-3 to lead the Lady Railsplitters at the plate.
 
The Lady Railsplitters improved to 61-53 in the all-time series with Tusculum, splitting the regular season series for the second-straight year.
 
Lincoln Memorial treks to Hartsville, S.C. this Saturday for a SAC doubleheader against the Coker Cobras. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Game One Box
Game Two Box