HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Lady Railsplitters (8-2) combined for 27 runs and hit five home runs to run rule a pair of teams that made deeps runs in the 2016 NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Byerly Park as part of the Coker Spring Tournament.
In game one, Lincoln Memorial scored seven runs in the top of the first and blasted four home runs to get Bloomsburg's season off to a rocky start in a 17-1 win in five innings. The Lady Railsplitters plated five runs in the bottom of the first in game two and tacked on five more in the fifth in a 10-2 win over Charleston, who made it to the NCAA Division II World Series last season.
The Lady Railsplitters will look to extend their four-game winning streak on Sunday when they conclude the Coker Spring Tournament against Pfeiffer at 9 a.m. and Lander at 1 p.m.
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 17, Bloomsburg 1 (5 innings)
A week after a 13-run, 15-hit shellacking of the University of Mary in Tucson, Ariz., the Lady Railsplitters recorded their highest run total since scoring 17 against Salem International in 2011. Lincoln Memorial hasn't scored more runs since the 2008 team tallied 20 against Tusculum.
Lincoln Memorial matched a season-high mark with 15 hits as all nine starters finished with at least one hit in the contest.
Dakotah Fraley (Walkersville, Md.) and
Jennifer Moose (Statesville, N.C.) were the catalysts for the Lady Railsplitters' big day at the plate, as that duo combined for six hits and eight RBI. Fraley went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI, while Moose went 3-for-4 with five RBI and a homer.
Kelsie Hocutt (Wendell, N.C.) went 2-for-4 with two RBI, a dinger and a double, while
Ty-Kella Goins (Ramseur, N.C.) walloped the first home run of her career as part of a 2-for-3 showing with two RBI.
The Lady Railsplitters put up seven runs before
Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) even threw a pitch, and the junior right-hander made the most of that by allowing just three hits and one run with three strikeouts over five innings of work to improve to 4-1 on the season.
Fraley led off the game with her second career home run to kick-start the Lady Railsplitters' seven-run outburst. Moose singled in the next at-bat, while Hocutt doubled two batters later. Brianna Schrimpf (Chandler, Ariz.) then drove in the next run with a single. After a fly out, the next six batters reached safely for the Lady Railsplitters to chase Bloomsburg starter Mallory Tomaschik from the game.
Kristen McAndrew (Belmont, N.C.),
Teddi Collins (Germantown, Ohio), Fraley, Moose and
Allie Jones (Ooltewah, Tenn.) each accounted for RBI over that stretch.
The Lady Railsplitters increased their lead to 11-0 in the third on two-run home runs from Hocutt and Goins. Hocutt drove in Jones, who struck out but reached via a wild pitch, while Goins plated Schrimpf, who drew a two-out walk to keep the rally going.
The Huskies scored their lone run of the game on a lead-off solo shot from Maggie Hall in the bottom of the third, but Lincoln Memorial scored four more runs in the top of the fourth to erase that completely. Fraley drove in the first run of that inning with a single, while Moose connected on her first home run of the season in the next at-bat to bring in three more.
With the run rule already in effect, the Lady Railsplitters added two more runs in the top of the fifth. Goins worked a lead-off walk to start that rally and scored on an error. Collins, who reached on the error, scored three batters later on a single from Moose.
Taylor retired six of the last seven batters she faced to dust off the complete game against the Huskies, who won 45 games last season and played in the NCAA Tournament.
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 10, Charleston 2 (5 innings)
The Lady Railsplitters' bats stayed hot against the Golden Eagles. After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first, Lincoln Memorial rattled off 11 hits and scored five runs in the first and fifth innings to power another lightning-fast win.
This time it was the back half of the order that took care of business, as Goins went 2-for-3 with four RBI and hit another home run, while McAndrew and Collins had two hits apiece out of the seven and eight spots in the lineup.
Ashlea Hunter (Woodruff, S.C.) went 1-for-2 with a triple and two RBI. Four other players finished with a hit for the Lady Railsplitters.
Freshman right-hander
Justice Smith (Rockmart, Ga.) got off to a rocky start, allowing two runs and three hits in the first inning. However, she settled in and held Charleston to just two hits without a run the rest of the way. She did struggle a bit with control with five walks, but finished with three strikeouts and stranded eight Golden Eagles on base to improve to 4-1.
Bethany Williamson connected on a two-run home run off of Smith in the top of the first to put the Golden Eagles ahead 2-0.
That lead was short-lived, though, as the Lady Railsplitters answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Fraley led off with a double and scored on another double from Moose to cut the deficit in half. Hocutt then tied the game with a sacrifice fly out before Goins gave Lincoln Memorial the lead for good with a three-run shot over the right-field wall.
The Golden Eagles threatened in the top of the second, using a walk and two singles to load the bases. But Smith induced a 5-2-3 double play to work out of the jam and maintain the Lady Railsplitters' 5-2 cushion.
Lincoln Memorial stranded two runners on base in the fourth and Charleston left two on base in the top of the fifth before the Lady Railsplitters brought the game to a close in the home half of that inning.
Moose walked and Hocutt singled to put two runners on with two outs. Goins, McAndrew and Collins then singled in three consecutive at-bats to increase the lead to 8-2. Hunter then ended the game with a triple to left field, which scored both Collins and McAndrew.
Karli Pinkerton was the only Charleston hitter with multiple hits in the contest, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk. Alli Burdette was saddled with the loss after allowing four hits and five earned runs while recording just one out.
