HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Wingate Bulldogs (26-18, 13-9 SAC) withstood a furious seventh-inning rally in game one and scored 10 unanswered runs in game two to sweep a South Atlantic Conference softball doubleheader from the Lady Railsplitters (22-22, 11-11 SAC) in the regular season finale at Dorothy Neely Field on Saturday.
 
Lincoln Memorial exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh, but left the tying run stranded on second base in a 6-5 loss in game one. The Lady Railsplitters jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in game two before the Bulldogs scored three-plus runs in three different innings to pace a 10-3 win and complete the sweep.
 
The Lady Railsplitters celebrated Senior Day prior to the first pitch in game one, honoring the program's five graduating players during an on-field ceremony. Seniors Jaclyn Cokeroft (Longwood, Fla.), Kelly Dreier (Knoxville, Tenn.), Emilee Solomon (Knoxville, Tenn.), Amanda Snow (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Megan Tice (Orlando, Fla.) were recognized.
 
The Lady Railsplitters clinched a bid to the South Atlantic Conference Championship in Friday's sweep of Mars Hill, but they must wait until Coker completes its season against Brevard on Sunday to learn its opponent for the opening round. A sweep by the Cobras will drop LMU to the eight-seed and set up an opening-round game against Carson-Newman, while a Coker split would give the Lady Railsplitters the seven-seed and a match-up against Anderson.
 
Game One: Wingate 6, Lincoln Memorial 5
 
The Lady Railsplitters put two runners on in the bottom of the first as Snow and Meredith Johnson (Kenly, N.C.) singled in back-to-back at-bats with two outs, but a foul out ended the threat.
 
That would one of the last good scoring opportunities the Lady Railsplitters would have against Wingate right-hander Stacey Houser, who allowed just two baserunners without a hit over the next three innings. Ashlea Hunter (Woodruff, S.C.) finally broke through against Houser with two outs in the bottom of the second with a single back up the middle, but came away with nothing to show for it.
 
LMU starter Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) went pitch-for-pitch with Houser through the first three innings before Alexis Burrell connected on a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 cushion.
 
Smith tossed another zero up in the top of the fifth, but Burrell helped produce another Wingate run in the sixth stanza. Looking to avoid serving up Burrell's 16th home run of the season, Coach Natalie Layden opted to intentionally walk the big bopper with no outs in that inning. The plan nearly worked as Emily Usiak was retired on a sac bunt and Katie McLaurin popped out in the infield. Olivia Smith foiled the Lady Railsplitters, though, sneaking a double just past shortstop Jennifer Moose (Statesville, N.C.) to make it a 2-0 game.
 
The Lady Railsplitters' half of the sixth passed without consequence, while the floodgates opened up for Wingate in the seventh. With Shannen Adams and Morgan Hendrix on base, Taylor Laskey bulged the lead to 4-0 with a double into left-center. The inning continued as Burrell was given another free pass and Usiak singled in front of McLaurin, who plated a run with a sac fly, and Smith, who drove in another with a single. 
 
Despite not putting a runner in scoring position since the second inning, Lincoln Memorial nearly did the unthinkable with a monster rally in the bottom of the seventh. Cokeroft reached via an infield error, while Tice singled through the left side. A walk was then issued to Teddi Collins (Germantown, Ohio) to load the bases with nary an out. Hunter put the Lady Railsplitters on the board with a two-run double, but Collins was cut down at third while trying to advance in what would prove to be a huge play in the final outcome.
 
Hunter scored in the next at-bat on a base hit by Solomon, while Snow drew a walk two batters later to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Johnson. Though she was unable to tie it, Johnson brought the Lady Railsplitters to within one run by scalding a double just past the Wingate centerfielder. The elation of Johnson's knock would quickly subside, though, as a foul out left her stranded at second and ended the game.
 
Hunter and Johnson led the Lady Railsplitters with two hits apiece, fronting a seven-hit effort for the home team. Smith was saddled with the loss, giving up 11 hits and six earned runs over seven innings of work.
 
Laskey, Usiak, Smith and Misty Doran recorded two hits apiece to carry the Bulldogs' 11-hit attack. Houser improved to 18-13 with seven hits and two earned runs allowed over seven innings.
 
Game Two: Wingate 10, Lincoln Memorial 3
 
The Lady Railsplitters pounced on the Bulldogs and right-hander Miranda Paul early, as an infield error on a ball in play by Dreier and a walk to Johnson put two runners on with two outs in the first. Moose brought the first run across with a double down the left-field line, while Tice made it a 3-0 lead with a two-run single in the ensuing at-bat.
 
Unfortunately, that would be the extent of Lincoln Memorial's offensive production, as Paul limited the Lady Railsplitters to just one hit the rest of the way, a third-inning single by Snow, and retired 18 of the 21 batters she faced from the second inning on.
 
Wingate jumped into the lead just a half inning after the Lady Railsplitters' three-run outburst, scoring the first four runs of a stretch that would see the Bulldogs finish on a 10-0 scoring run.
 
The Bulldogs loaded the bases just four batters into the second frame and Doran was hit by a pitch to bring the first run across. Mellena Helms doubled two batters later to even the game at 3-3, while Hendrix beat out an infield single to plate the eventual game-winning score.
 
The score held at 4-3 through four complete, but the Bulldogs broke away in the visitor's half of the fifth with an RBI double by Laskey, a sacrifice fly out from Usiak and a solo home run off the bat of McLaurin.
 
Wingate hung three more runs on the board in the seventh stanza on run-scoring knocks from Burrell, Smith and Doran.
 
The Lady Railsplitters were outhit 12-3 in the contest as Snow, Johnson and Moose accounted for LMU's only hits of the game. Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) pitched the entirety of Saturday's nightcap, allowing 10 earned runs and 12 hits over seven frames.
 
Five of Wingate's nine batters recorded multiple hits, while Paul went seven innings and improved to 5-3 with three hits and four strikeouts.
 
The double-elimination South Atlantic Conference Championship gets underway on Thursday, April 23 in Hartsville, S.C. The Lady Railsplitters will learn their first-round opponent on Sunday.