SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Ty-Kella Goins hammered a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader to help the Lady Railsplitters salvage a split on day one of the Mid-South Classic.
Lincoln Memorial (4-6) was kept quiet offensively and left seven runners stranded on base in a 2-1 loss to Tiffin in the day's first game. The Lady Railsplitters fell into a 3-0 hole against Augusta in the evening game, but rallied back to force extra innings. On the brink of suffering a sweep trailing by one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Goins came through in the clutch with a walk-off, two-run homer to catapult Lincoln Memorial past the Jaguars, 5-4.
The Lady Railsplitters play two more games in the Mid-South Classic on Saturday, facing Georgia College at noon and Limestone at 4 p.m.
Game One: Tiffin 2, Lincoln Memorial 1
The Lady Railsplitters scattered seven hits and put a runner on base in six of the seven innings but never strung enough hits together to pack much punch offensively. Lincoln Memorial also combined for eight strikeouts, including four that ended innings.
Emma Webb collected two hits and drove in Lincoln Memorial's only run of the game with a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the third. Goins scored on Webb's knock after leading off the third with a single. Four other LMU hitters contributed a single in the contest.
The Lady Railsplitters once again failed to muster any offensive production for right-hander
Brianna Taylor, who kept the Dragons mostly in check despite giving up nine hits and two walks. The senior struck out five and allowed two earned runs to fall to 1-4 on the season.
Tiffin did all of its damage in the top of the second inning, when Chloe Swaisgood and Libby Crow led off with singles and scored on back-to-back singles from April Bennett and Jamie Sevenish. The Dragons combined for four of their nine hits in that inning alone and produced just four total the rest of the game.
Sevenish was a thorn in the Lady Railsplitters' side all afternoon, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI. Bennett also contributed two hits and an RBI.
Kimmy Reynolds and Tiffany Snell both factored into the win for Tiffin. Reynolds earned the victory with six innings of seven-hit, one-run ball. She struck out seven before giving way to Snell, who threw a perfect seventh inning that included a strikeout.
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 5, Augusta 4 (8 innings)
Goins' first home run of the season couldn't have come at a better time as it capped a resurgent effort for the Lady Railsplitters.
After both Lincoln Memorial and Augusta combined for just two hits total through the first three innings, the Jaguars broke the game open in the top of the fourth with a two-run triple by Lydia Hausman, who scored in the very next at-bat on a fielding error to put Augusta in front 3-0.
The Jaguars returned the favor in the in bottom of the fourth inning when they committed a two-out fielding error to give the Lady Railsplitters a run back.
Allie Jones scored on the play following a lead-off double.
The Lady Railsplitters then fought and clawed to tie the game in the fifth inning, as Goins,
Grace Cochran and Jones strung together three straight singles to cut the deficit to 3-2. Another throwing error then brought Cochran home to knot the score at 3-3.
Both teams put two runners on base in the sixth inning, while the Lady Railsplitters put the potential winning run on third base in the seventh, but neither team scored to send the game to extras.
With a runner placed on second base, Hausman drove in the go-ahead run with a single to give the Jaguars a slim 4-3 advantage.
It was then the Lady Railsplitters' turn to bat in the bottom of the eighth after
Justice Smith limited the damage to only one run. A groundout and a strikeout put two outs on the board and set the stage for Goins' heroics, and the sophomore lifted the walk-off homer to right center to conclude the come-from-behind victory.
Goins, Cochran and Jones combined for six hits, three RBI and four runs to lead the Lady Railsplitter offense.
Kaitlyn Walker also scored a run as part of a 1-for-4 day.
Smith picked up the win with five innings of seven-hit, four-run relief. She struck out three and walked two to improve to 3-2. Taylor made the start but had to settle for the no decision despite giving up only one hit and striking out three.
Hausman and Auburn Balcorta led the Augusta offense with two hits apiece. Jada Jackson was the last of three Jaguar pitchers in the contest, and she was saddled with the loss after giving up Goins' two-run dinger.
