Wingate, NC- Lincoln Memorial beat (4) Carson-Newman today 7-1 before falling to (1) Wingate 0-5, making their exit in the SAC Softball Tournament.

Halle Grace Patton would get the start in the circle for the Splitters, LMU being the home team in the contest. Anna Kate Reichter would lead off the game with a single through the right side in the top of the first. Jordann Reagan would earn a hit for herself later in the inning, but LMU would come up empty and leave both on base. Carson-Newman would also leave a runner on in the bottom half of the first, keeping it scoreless through one. A hit from Alyssa Williams in her first at-bat would start a rally in the bottom of the second, advancing to third on a base hit from Brianna Baer. Gracie Palmer would step in next, sending one to deep right-center for Williams to tag up and score the first run of the game. Reichter would make it 2-2 on the day with another hit up the middle, increasing LMU's hit total to five. The Eagles would quickly even up the score, piecing together two hits after an LMU error to cross a run in the bottom of the second and make it 1-1. Hanna Bogoski would be the first aboard in the third via HPB. Contact from Couvertiere later in the inning would make it two on and give Lincoln Memorial another in scoring position. They would be left on base again, taking it to the bottom of the third. Another efficient defensive outing by Patton and crew would keep the game tied and allow LMU to retake the lead.

A walk issued to Baer followed by two consecutive groundouts would put her on third with two outs in the top of the fourth. Kristin Griffin would step in the box and take advantage, sending one over the left-center wall. The two-run shot would be her sixth of the season and give LMU the 3-1 lead. The Eagles would threaten in the bottom of the fifth, earning a double to put one in scoring position and bring the tying run to the plate, but Patton would shut it down by striking out two in a row and getting out of the inning. Palmer's single through the right side would start the top of the sixth. Reichter would make that back-to-back hits, putting two on and no one out. Both runners would advance on a wild pitch to Hanna Bogoski, Bogo taking advantage later in the at-bat with a two-RBI single. An error from C-N would cross Bogoski and make it 6-1, a tally that would add another shortly after from a double by Hannah McMeen down the line. The 7-1 score would go final, keeping LMU alive and to face Wingate in the last game of the tournament. 

Reichter would lead off the following game against Wingate with a single, advancing on a bunt by Griffin but being left stranded to go scoreless in the first. Both teams would come up empty in the second also, the Bulldogs changing that in the top of the second thanks to a couple of hits, taking them a 0-2 lead. Lincoln Memorial would find their bats in the bottom of the third, Brianna Baer starting things off with a single, advancing on a bunt single from Gracie Palmer, and then finding her way to third with a single from Reichter to load the bases. It would be the start of a trend, unfortunately, as LMU would strand the bases loaded and come up empty. The top of the fourth would see WU keep the momentum rolling, stringing together hard contact to cross two more and make it a 0-4 lead. They'd make it 0-5 in the top of the fifth from a solo shot, forcing the Splitters to put on their rally caps. Palmer would start the bottom of the fifth off as she and Reichter would both get aboard. Three consecutive fielder's choices would put a stop to scoring, however, getting the lead runner and leaving more on-base. The bottom of the sixth would see hits from McMeen and Nicole Couvertiere, followed by a walk issued to Baer to load them yet again. Another couple of flyouts would end it, though; a pattern that the bottom of the seventh would see as well to strand two more and end the game 0-5 in Wingate's favor.

Lincoln Memorial goes to 34-18 on the season, going 15-9 in conference play and ending the conference tournament in the same place as their seed: third. They will await to see if they make the regional selections later this month.