HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Senior designated player Amanda Snow (Knoxville, Tenn.) hit a home run and drove in both runs in support of right-hander Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.), who provided her third straight dominant outing, as the seventh-seeded Lady Railsplitters (24-23) stayed alive in the South Atlantic Conference Championship with a 2-1 win over fourth-seeded Wingate (27-20) on Friday at Byerly Park in Hartsville, S.C.  
 
With the win, Lincoln Memorial advances to the third day of the SAC tournament for the second time since joining the league (2008) and the first time since accomplishing that feat during the 2011 event. The Lady Railsplitters will face the second-seeded Anderson Trojans, who eliminated the top-seeded Carson-Newman Eagles in Friday's nightcap, at noon on Saturday.  
 
For the Lady Railsplitters, the win provides a small sense of retribution, as the Bulldogs ended Lincoln Memorial's season with a 5-1 win on the second day of the 2013 SAC tournament. Wingate also swept a doubleheader from the Lady Railsplitters on the final day of the regular season just six days ago at Dorothy Neely Field.
 
The Lady Railsplitters struck early against Wingate right-hander Stacey Houser, who was returning to the mound less than an hour after battling through a nine-inning outing in a do-or-die win over Coker. Snow drove in both of the Lady Railsplitters' runs, breaking a mild 0-for-3 slump in the first two games of the SAC tourney.
 
Kelly Dreier (Knoxville, Tenn.) jumpstarted Lincoln Memorial's offense in the bottom of the first with a double down the left-field line, scoring in the next at-bat on an RBI single from Snow.
 
After a fly out and a groundout, Snow extended the Lady Railsplitters' lead in the bottom of the third, working a 3-2 count before belting a solo home run over the fence in left field. The home run marked Snow's eighth of the season and the 33rd of her career, as the All-SAC first team selection took over sole possession of third place in the program's career record book.
 
That proved to be enough run support for Smith, who gave up just five hits and struck out three over seven innings of work. Smith's lone misstep came in the top of the seventh on Katie McLaurin's leadoff solo home run, the first earned run charged to Smith's nearly flawless stat ledger in 20 innings of work in the SAC tournament.
 
Houser and Wingate reliever Miranda Paul combined to limit the Lady Railsplitters to four hits in six innings, with all four hits coming against Houser. Paul did not allow a hit or a run through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, striking out two and walking one.
 
Snow went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored, while Dreier and Savannah Couch (Colonial Heights, Va.) added the other two knocks.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are set for a rematch with Anderson at noon on Saturday, with the winner advancing to take on the loser between Catawba and Newberry and the loser heading home. Lincoln Memorial blanked Anderson in the SAC tournament-opener 8-0 behind Smith's first career no-hitter.
 
Live stat and video links will be available for that contest via www.LMURailsplitters.com.