HICKORY, N.C. – The No. 12 Lenoir-Rhyne Bears combined for 21 runs to take both ends of a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader from the Lady Railsplitters on Monday afternoon in Hickory, N.C.
Lincoln Memorial (19-15, 2-6 SAC), which saw its losing streak extended to six games, fell 10-3 in game one before dropping an 11-4 decision in the nightcap.
The Lady Railsplitters conclude their six-game road trip on Wednesday when they pay the Anderson Trojans a visit for a SAC doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
Game One: Lenoir-Rhyne 10, Lincoln Memorial 3
Emma Webb went 2-for-3 and hit her second home run of the season with a three-run job in the top of the sixth inning but that was not enough to overcome a potent Lenoir-Rhyne attack that piled up 12 hits, blasted three homers and scored in all but one inning.
The Lady Railsplitters finished with just five hits as a team with only two going for extra bases. Webb was responsible for both extra-base knocks as she added a double to lead off the second.
Three pitchers had a go at slowing down the Bears.
Kelsie Hocutt, who also added a hit in the contest, made her first start of the season and was tagged with the loss after allowing two hits and two runs with two walks in the first inning.
Brianna Taylor gave up four hits and two earned runs over three innings of work, while
Justice Smith allowed five runs (four earned) and six hits in her two innings of action.
Madison Carter went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead Lenoir-Rhyne, while Madison Poe went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a double and a triple. Kylee Leonhardt hit a pair of home runs and Erin Boone added another long ball as well. All nine Bear starters reached base at least once in the contest.
A sac fly by Boone and a RBI single from Carter put Lenoir-Rhyne in front in the bottom of the first inning. Another sac fly from Poe extended Lenoir-Rhyne's lead to 3-0 in the home half of the second.
Leonhardt's first home run – a solo shot in the third – added another run on the board, while Poe drove in another with a double in the fourth to make it a 5-0 game.
Ty-Kella Goins drew a leadoff walk and
Jacie Pittman followed with a single in the top of the sixth to set the stage for Webb, who launched a three-run dinger over the center field wall to bring the Lady Railsplitters back within striking distance.
However, Lenoir-Rhyne put the game away with a five-run outburst in the bottom of that inning. Boone hit a two-run homer and Leonhardt followed with a solo shot to cap that rally and put the Bears up 10-3.
The Lady Railsplitters put a pair of runners on base in the top of the seventh but were unable to push another run across.
Brandi Parks went the distance for the Bears, giving up just five hits and three earned runs with five strikeouts and three walks over seven innings of work to move to 15-3 on the season.
Game Two: Lenoir-Rhyne 11, Lincoln Memorial 4
The Lady Railsplitters were much more productive at the plate in game two, scattering 11 hits with seven of the team's nine starters recording at least one. However, the Bears surpassed their effort from game one as well, racking up 13 hits to complete the sweep.
Hocutt went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Pittman went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and Goins added a pair of singles to lead the LMU attack. Webb had another double and scored twice. All nine starters reached base at least once.
Three pitchers once again threw for the Lady Railsplitters. Taylor took the loss this time around after surrendering five hits and four unearned runs with one walk and one strikeout in three innings of action. Hocutt gave up four hits and four earned runs with a walk in one inning of relief. Smith allowed four hits and three runs over the final two innings.
Mackenzie Cates homered twice and drove in four runs as part of a 3-for-3 performance to lead Lenoir-Rhyne. Carter had a pair of doubles and finished 3-for-4 at the dish. Leonhardt had two hits, two runs, one RBI and a walk, while Talon LaClair provided three hits as well.
Emily Kenley moved to 16-2 on the season despite giving up 11 hits and four runs while striking out five and walking three in the complete game.
Back-to-back errors to open the bottom of the first kick started a long rally for the Bears, who jumped out to a 4-0 lead on an RBI single by Leonhardt and a three-run bomb by Cates.
The Lady Railsplitters got on the board in the top of the third on a two-out, RBI single by Pittman, but back-to-back two-run doubles by LaClair and Mackensi Swain in the bottom of the fourth put the Bears ahead 8-1.
Lincoln Memorial worked its way back into the game momentarily, cutting Lenoir-Rhyne's lead in half with RBI from Hocutt and Pittman in the fifth and a sac fly by
Allie Jones in the sixth. However, L-R pushed three more runs across in the bottom of the sixth to put the game away. Cates highlighted that three-run frame with her second homer of the game.
In the wake of the sweep, Lincoln Memorial has now lost nine straight games against Lenoir-Rhyne and falls to 3-26 in the all-time series.
