SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Lady Railsplitters split on day two of the Mid-South Classic, notching a convincing 8-2 win over Georgia College before falling late to Limestone 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Lincoln Memorial (5-7) mustered just six hits in the day's first game, but two were home runs that led the way in an 8-2 win over the Bobcats. The eight runs were the second-most for the Lady Railsplitters this season behind their 10-run effort against Milligan. In the day's second game, the Lady Railsplitters held a 1-0 lead through five innings before the Saints scored thrice in the bottom of the sixth to power a 3-1 come-from-behind victory.
The Lady Railsplitters will complete the Mid-South Classic on Sunday morning with games against Mount Olive at 9 a.m. and Converse at 11 a.m.
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 8, Georgia College 2
Kelsie Hocutt went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and two runs scored to lead the Lady Railsplitters' offensive attack.
Audrey Petoskey also hit a solo home run, while
Allie Jones drove in a run as well.
The Bobcat defense committed four errors that led to four unearned runs to contribute to Lincoln Memorial's victory.
The Lady Railsplitters finally provided some run support for right-hander
Brianna Taylor, who picked up her first win since the season opener on February 3 by tossing seven innings of five-hit, two-run ball. Only one of the runs charged to Taylor was earned, while she also struck out four without a walk in the complete game.
The Bobcats were the first on the board as Caroline Snider scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the first, but the Lady Railsplitters preceded to score seven runs over the next three innings to put the game out of reach.
A fielding error allowed the Lady Railsplitters to tie the game in the second, while Hocutt and Petoskey hit their homers in the third to put four runs on board. After Georgia College cut into the deficit with a solo shot from Sutton Long in the bottom of the third, the Lady Railsplitters used a fielding error and Jones' RBI single to extend the lead to 7-2 in the fourth.
The Bobcats' fourth and final error pushed another run across for the Lady Railsplitters in the top of the sixth.
Georgia College finished with just five hits in the contest. Long accounted for two of those hits with her solo home run and a single in the fifth. Rebecca Lawrence was saddled with the loss after allowing four hits and five runs (four earned) over 2.2 innings of work.
Game Two: Limestone 3, Lincoln Memorial 1
The Lady Railsplitters and Saints combined for just eight hits in a pitcher's duel but a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference and spoiled an otherwise stellar outing from
Justice Smith.
Smith kept Limestone completely in check through the first five innings, giving up only one hit without a run. However, a single by Siara Shelton and a hit-by-pitch to Kat Tate set the stage for Emma Swearingen, who belted a three-run, two-out home run to stun the Lady Railsplitters.
The Lady Railsplitters were sitting on a 1-0 lead heading into that inning as
Grace Cochran singled to lead off the top of the third before scoring on
Ty-Kella Goins' two-out single.
Lincoln Memorial brought the potential tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh following Swearingen's three-run dinger, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the threat and the game.
Goins and Hocutt finished with two hits apiece to account for four of the team's five knocks. Smith was saddled with the loss despite making only one real mistake. She allowed just three hits and three earned runs while striking out five without a walk over six innings of work to fall to 3-3 on the season.
Josie Weber picked up the win for the Saints with a complete-game performance. She allowed five hits and one unearned run with seven strikeouts and no walks.
