HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (17-10, 1-3 SAC) split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader against the Anderson Trojans (22-6, 3-1 SAC) on Wednesday afternoon at Dorothy Neely Field.
 
Lincoln Memorial fell into a 5-0 hole in both games, but found a way to rally and very nearly ended up sweeping the conference twinbill. The Lady Railsplitters scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to capture a 7-6 win in game one before coming up just a bit short in a 6-4 loss in game two.
 
Wednesday ended a six-game home stand for the Lady Railsplitters, who head to Hartsville, S.C. – the site of the 2017 SAC Championship – on Saturday, March 25 to face the Coker Cobras for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 7, Anderson 6
 
The Lady Railsplitters trailed 5-0 early and went into the bottom of the sixth inning facing a 6-2 deficit, but the Trojans committed three of their season-high six errors that inning to help Lincoln Memorial plate five runs and pick up its first SAC win of the season.
 
Ashlea Hunter (Woodruff, S.C.) went 2-for-3 and drove in the tying runs with a clutch three-run double in the bottom of the sixth. Dakotah Fraley (Walkersville, Md.) also finished with two hits and scored a run, while Jennifer Moose (Statesville, N.C.) hit a solo home run and drew a walk.
 
The Lady Railsplitters weren't at their best defensively, either, surrendering three unearned runs on three errors. But Lincoln Memorial made up for that at the plate, tallying nine hits with four extra-base knocks off of Anderson starter Augie Pena. That was the most hits allowed this season by Pena, who entered Wednesday's doubleheader with the SAC's best earned run average and batting average against. LMU handed Pena (9-2) just her second loss of the season.
 
Courtney Czentnar led the Anderson attack by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and five RBI. Cailah Niles and Meghan Majeski added two hits and two runs apiece.
 
Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) was shaky early, allowing six hits and five runs through the first three frames, but settled down after that. Taylor limited the Trojans to just four hits and one unearned run over the final four innings to improve to 10-4 on the season. She struck out six and walked just one.  
 
A throwing error by Fraley opened the door for Anderson in the top of the first. The first two batters went down with ease, but Niles reached on that miscue and Mattie Hamilton singled in the next at-bat, while both base runners moved into scoring position on the throw. Czentnar brought both runners home with a double to left center.
 
A walk to Moose and a double by Ty-Kella Goins (Ramseur, N.C.) down the right-field line put two runners in scoring position with one out for Lincoln Memorial in the home half of the first, but Pena worked out of that jam by getting Meredith Johnson (Kenly, N.C.) to foul out and Kelsie Hocutt (Wendell, N.C.) to fly out to left.
 
After wiggling off the hook the inning before, Pena helped her own cause by hammering a leadoff home run in the top of the second to increase the Trojans' lead to 3-0.
 
Anderson conjured up some more offense in the top of the third, as Majeski and Niles singled in back-to-back at-bats. A groundout then moved the two into scoring position for Czentnar, who laced her second two-run double of the game over Allie Jones' (Ooltewah, Tenn.) head in left field to put the Trojans up 5-0.
 
Fraley sparked a rally for the Lady Railsplitters in the bottom of the third, leading off with a single before advancing all the way to third on a throwing error. Fraley put LMU on the board courtesy of another throwing error, as Niles made an errant throw back to the pitcher.
 
Moose drove in the second run of the inning with a solo home run over the wall in left field – her fourth of the season – to cut the deficit to 5-2.
 
Fielding issues came back to bite the Lady Railsplitters again in the top of the fifth, as back-to-back errors, the first by Hocutt at third and the second by Taylor on the mound, put two runners for the Trojans with no outs. Anderson mustered just one run that frame, though, extending its lead to 6-2 on Czentnar's infield single.
 
Taylor worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth to set the stage for the Lady Railsplitters' comeback.
 
Johnson kick-started the rally in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff double down the right-field line. Jones singled two batters later to put runners on the corners. The Lady Railsplitters scored the first of five runs courtesy of an error by Hamilton at shortstop. Another throwing error on the next play loaded the bases for Hunter, who brought all three runs home and tied the game with a double to left field.
 
After a single by Fraley, another error on a ball put in play by Goins sent Hunter home and gave the Lady Railsplitters a 7-6 lead.
 
Breanna Hagerty singled with one out in the top of the seventh to put the tying run on base for Anderson, but Taylor got Pena to ground out and struck out Michaela Smith to clinch the victory.
 
Game Two: Anderson 6, Lincoln Memorial 4
 
Taylor couldn't replicate her success against the Trojans in game two, as the junior right-hander did not record an out and was pulled after allowing five hits and five runs in the first.
 
Freshman Justice Smith (Rockmart, Ga.) dazzled in relief of Taylor and gave the Lady Railsplitters a shot to make a comeback. Smith allowed the first two batters she faced to single, but retired 15 of the next 17 batters she face. The only blemishes over that stretch were a pair of walks. All told, Smith allowed just three hits and one unearned run with eight strikeouts in seven innings.
 
Moose led the offensive attack by going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. She was the only LMU hitter to finish with multiple hits off of Lauren Rudesheim, who improved to 8-3 with the win. Jones reached base twice in the contest with a single and a walk.
 
The Trojans plated five runs before the Lady Railsplitters even recorded an out in the top of the first. The first seven batters of the game tallied hits for Anderson, including back-to-back home runs from Hamilton and Czentnar. Hamilton's dinger was a three-run blast, which followed Majeski's RBI single. Czentnar's solo home run was her third of the season and capped the five-run flurry. Taylor exited the game after the second home run and ultimately fell to 10-5 following the loss.
 
The Lady Railsplitters went hitless and mustered just two base runners through the first three innings, but Moose broke up Rudesheim's no-hit bid with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth. That eventually led to a run, as Moose advanced to third on a fly out and scored on Hocutt's groundout to cut the Anderson lead to 5-1.
 
Lincoln Memorial brought another run home in the bottom of the fifth, as Fraley sparked a rally with a two-out single. Moose singled in the next at-bat to put runners on first and second for Goins, who also singled back up the middle. Fraley scored on the play, but Moose was thrown out while trying to advance to third to end the inning.
 
The Lady Railsplitters kept it rolling in the sixth. Hocutt reached on an error before Jones drew a walk to put two runners on for Jacie Pittman (Travelers Rest, S.C.), who singled to left field to score Hocutt. With the tying runs on second and third base, Hunter laced a single through the left side of the infield. Jones scored on the play, but Anderson threw pinch runner Kristen McAndrew (Belmont, N.C.) out at the plate to maintain a one-run lead.
 
The Trojans finally got to Smith in the top of the seventh and padded their lead. Kasey Grant led off with a single to post Anderson's first hit since the first inning. After advancing to third via an error and a groundout, Grant scored on a sac fly from Niles.
 
The Lad Railsplitters brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh after Moose drew a one-out walk, However, Rudesheim forced a groundout and caught Johnson looking to end the game.