HARROGATE, Tenn. – Kelsie Hocutt hammered a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the Lady Railsplitters (16-8, 1-1 SAC) open South Atlantic Conference play with a split against the Catawba Indians (13-14, 1-1 SAC) on Sunday afternoon at Dorothy Neely Field.
 
The Indians scored eight runs in the top of the first inning and held on down the stretch to win game one 10-6. Catawba again jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in game two, but Lincoln Memorial rallied to force extra innings to set the stage for Hocutt's heroics.
 
The Lady Railsplitters complete their six-game homestand on Wednesday, March 21 with a nonconference doubleheader against the King Tornado beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Game One: Catawba 10, Lincoln Memorial 6
 
The Indians brought 13 batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, using seven hits and three errors to score eight runs, which proved to be the difference in the ballgame. Catawba finished with 15 hits and fell one shy of matching its season-high run total to snap the Lady Railsplitters' 10-game winning streak.
 
Lincoln Memorial racked up eight hits of its own but left nine runners stranded to see the comeback bid fall short. The Lady Railsplitters finished 5-for-18 with runners on base.
 
Ty-Kella Goins accounted for nearly half of the Lady Railsplitters' offensive output with a 3-for-4 effort that included two RBI and two runs scored. Bella Buccellato also drove in a pair, while Allie Jones finished with the team's only other RBI.
 
Brianna Taylor's string of six straight winning efforts ended as the senior righty allowed a season-high 15 hits and 10 runs (four earned). She walked one and struck out one to fall to 7-5 on the season. Her effort was hindered by a four-error game by the Lady Railsplitter defense.
 
After Catawba's eight-run first inning, which was punctuated by a two-run single from Delane Smith and a two-run double by Kaylee Cook, the Lady Railsplitters scored five unanswered runs to get back within striking distance.
 
A sacrifice fly out by Jones in the bottom of the third put Lincoln Memorial on the board, while a two-run single from Goins highlighted a four-run fourth inning that trimmed the deficit to 8-5.
 
However, the Indians added insurance runs in the fifth on an RBI single from Allie Baker and in the seventh on another single by Baker to push their lead to 10-5.
 
The Lady Railsplitters mustered just one run after that as Hocutt led off with a single in the seventh and scored on Buccellato's two-out triple.
 
Leah Huggins went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, an RBI and a double to lead the Catawba attack, while Baker and Cook tallied three hits and drove in two runs apiece. Smith also had a pair of hits and RBI to aid Catawba's offensive output.
 
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 8, Catawba 7 (8 innings)
 
The Lady Railsplitters found themselves trailing 5-0 at the end of two innings but rallied back with a resilient effort to tie the game. After falling behind in the top of the eighth inning, Hocutt blasted her seventh home run of the season over the centerfield fall to propel Lincoln Memorial to victory.
 
An RBI single by Baker and a two-run homer from Smith catapulted Catawba out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. The Indians then extended their lead in the second with a single by Huggins and a sac bunt by Baker.
 
After leaving two runners stranded in the first and another runner left on in the second, the Lady Railsplitters finally got something going in the third on an RBI single from Kaitlyn Walker, which scored Goins after the second baseman drew a leadoff walk.
 
Lincoln Memorial pulled within one run in the home half of the fourth as singles from Buccellato and Savannah Daniel set the stage for Jones' two-run single. Jones later scored on a Hocutt base knock.
 
The Lady Railsplitters completed their initial comeback in the fifth on another two-out single by Jones to tie the game at 5-5.
 
Catawba briefly reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth as Taylor Martin led off with a triple and scored on a hit by Cook. However, the Lady Railsplitters tied it once again on a clutch two-out RBI double by Buccellato.
 
After both teams went quietly in the seventh to force extra innings, the Indians took the lead on Martin's sac fly in the eighth. Catawba had the bases loaded after following up the sac fly with a pair of singles and a fielding error, but Justice Smith induced a groundout to limit to damage.
 
That proved pivotal, too, as Hocutt belted the second pitch she saw to straightaway centerfield to complete the come-from-behind victory once and for all.
 
Jones, Hocutt, Buccellato and Emma Webb had two hits apiece to account for eight of the team's 12 hits overall. Jones and Hocutt had three RBI apiece.
 
Smith earned the win to improve to 9-3 on the season. She allowed 12 hits and six earned runs over eight innings of work, striking out three while issuing one walk.
 
Huggins again led the Indians with a 3-for-4 effort that included a run and an RBI. Martin and Cook added two hits apiece as Catawba produced 12 as a team.
 
In contrast to game one, the Lady Railsplitters went 9-for-21 (.429) with runners on base and hit 7-for-17 (.412) with runners in scoring position.