HARROGATE, TN - Lincoln Memorial softball punched its ticket to the SAC Championship Bracket on Saturday, rolling past Mars Hill 13-0 in five innings at Dorothy Neely Softball Complex to win the opening-round series in two games.

LMU jumped on the board immediately in the first. Hannah McMeen delivered an RBI single to score Reese Vivrette, and Nicole Couvertiere followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Gracie Palmer provided a highlight moment in the second inning, blasting her first home run of the season to extend the advantage to three.

The Railsplitters continued to add on, pushing across runs in each of the next three innings, but it was the fifth that put the game out of reach. LMU erupted for seven runs in the frame, using timely hitting and disciplined at-bats to trigger the run-rule. Jordann Reagan drove in a pair on two hits, while McMeen added two RBI on the day. Hanna Bogoski capped the decisive inning with a two-run double.

In the circle, Jasmine Kaylor was dominant, allowing just one hit in five shutout innings while working efficiently at just 60 pitches. Defensively, the Railsplitters backed her up with several clean plays, including a standout moment from Kristin Griffin, who ended the fifth inning with a running catch on the warning track while crashing into the wall.

With the win, LMU advances to the SAC Championship Bracket beginning Thursday, May 7. Lenoir-Rhyne earned the No. 1 seed and will host the championship tournament. In other quarterfinal matchups, the No. 2 series between Anderson and No. 7 Wingate is tied, while the No. 3 series between Carson-Newman and No. 6 Catawba is underway.

Championship Bracket
Day 1 – Thursday, May 7 | Day 2 – Friday, May 8 | Day 3 – Saturday, May 9
at Highest Remaining Seed

Thursday, May 7
Game 1: Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed
Game 2: Middle seed vs. Middle seed

Friday, May 8
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

Saturday, May 9
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5
Game 7: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 (if necessary)