HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Junior right-hander Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) chucked the program's first no-hitter since the 2011 season, while seniors Megan Tice (Orlando, Fla.) and Emilee Solomon (Knoxville, Tenn.) carried an offensive onslaught to lead the seventh-seeded Lady Railsplitters (23-22) to an 8-0 five-inning shellacking of the 23rd-ranked and second-seeded Anderson Trojans (35-12) on the opening day of the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship in Hartsville, S.C.
 
Lincoln Memorial, who improved to 6-10 all-time in the SAC Championship and picked up their first tournament victory since defeating Carson-Newman in 2013, advances into the winners bracket to square off against third-seeded Catawba, who pulled out a 1-0 win over Lenoir-Rhyne in Thursday's first game.
 
The Lady Railsplitters' offense piled up 11 hits, including four extra-base knocks, but it was Smith's masterful performance that stole the headlines. The Knoxville, Tenn. native completely locked down the nation's 28th-ranked scoring offense, holding Anderson without a hit over five innings, striking out six with two walks and a hit-by-pitch standing as the lone blemishes on her stat ledger. It marks the first no-hitter for the softball program since Cierra Mudd blanked Glenville State over five innings on March 4, 2011.
 
After Smith and Anderson righty Lauren Rudesheim exchanged back-to-back scoreless frames at the start, the Lady Railsplitters absolutely exploded in the top of the third. Following a routine groundout, Solomon staked Lincoln Memorial to a 1-0 advantage with a solo home run to straightaway centerfield, the second dinger of her senior season.
 
Kelly Dreier (Knoxville, Tenn.) kept the inning rolling with a single in the following at-bat, while Amanda Snow (Knoxville, Tenn.) walked and Jennifer Moose (Statesville, N.C,) singled around a strikeout to load the bases. With a single swing, the Lady Railsplitters' grip tightened on the game, as Tice unraveled a grand slam to dead centerfield to make it a 5-0 game. The home run was Tice's second of the season as well as the second of her career in the Blue and Gray.
 
Smith put Anderson's side down in 1-2-3 order in the bottom of that inning, while the Lady Railsplitters extended their lead to 7-0 in the top of the fourth. Solomon started the inning with a one-out double, scoring on a Dreier single that was aided by an error from the Anderson pitcher. Dreier scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly out by Moose.
 
The Trojans put runners on first and second in the bottom of the fourth after Cailah Niles walked and Bri Cason reached on an error, but Smith fanned Rebecca Martin to end the threat.
 
The Lady Railsplitters then brought the run-rule into play in the visitor's half of the fifth as Kristen McAndrew (Belmont, N.C.) led off with a base hit and scored on a single by Solomon.
 
Aptly, Smith finished off her magnificent performance by striking out Courtney Czentnar, Rachael Barefield and Carli Hurtado in consecutive at-bats in the home half of the fifth.
 
Solomon paced the Lady Railsplitters' offensively by going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, falling a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Dreier was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Meredith Johnson (Kenly, N.C.) was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. McAndrew finished a perfect 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are back in action bright and early on Friday morning, greeting the three-seeded Catawba Indians at 10 a.m. at Byerly Park in Hartsville, S.C. Live stats and video links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.