Tusculum College and Lincoln Memorial University split a South Atlantic Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Neely Field. The Railsplitters (17-8, 3-1 SAC) won the opener 5-0 while the Pioneers (15-17, 1-3 SAC) came back for a 5-2 victory in the nightcap to salvage the split.

The Pioneers will host Queens University in a conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. at Red Edmonds Field.

Game 1: Lincoln Memorial 5, Tusculum 0
(Box Score)

Samantha Smith (10-4) threw a two-hitter and leadoff hitter Emilee Solomon stole three bases and scored three runs as the Railsplitters captured the opener. Smith allowed a single to Carolyn Williamson to lead off the game and a single to Nicole Ball in the seventh while striking out four and walking one.

Lincoln Memorial took a 2-0 lead in the first on a throwing error and a wild pitch, and extended the lead to 3-0 in the third without benefit of a hit as the Pioneers mishandled a pair of throws. Another dropped throw in the fourth was key in a two-run inning that gave the Railsplitters a 5-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Tusculum's best scoring chance came in the third as Paige Sneed led off with a walk and Williamson reached on an error, leaving runners at second and third with one out. However, Smith retired the side on a pair of ground balls to third to keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard, and went on to retire 12 of the final 13 hitters over the final four innings.

Kelly King (10-8) was the hard-luck loser for the Pioneers, allowing four hits and five runs (two earned) with five strikeouts and one walk. No player for LMU had more than one hit in the game, though Amanda Snow did reach safely twice on a hit and a walk.

Game 2: Tusculum 5, Lincoln Memorial 2
(Box Score)

The Pioneers turned the tables on the Railsplitters in game two, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the first inning and finishing with 11 hits as a team. Courtney Hutcherson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs batted in while Miranda Beeler, Kaytlin Stroinski and Brooke Rhodes each went 2-for-4 in the victory.

Rachel Medley (3-4) scattered five hits and two earned runs in four innings to pick up the win for the Pioneers, with Eliza Davis throwing three scoreless innings of relief for her first save of the year. Snow (2-1) struck out five in 3 1/3 innings but allowed five hits and three runs to take the loss for the Railsplitters.

Tusculum jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first as Williamson reached second on an error and took third on a bunt single by Beeler. Stroinski then reached safely on a throwing error on a squeeze bunt as Williamson and Beeler both scored on the play. Lincoln Memorial threatened in the second as they put a runner on second with one out, but Medley got out of trouble on a line drive and a fly out.

The Pioneers went on top 3-0 in the fourth as Hutcherson led off with her second home run of the season, and put two more runners on base in the inning on singles by Rhodes and Jenna Restivo but could not expand their lead. The Railsplitters answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Jaclyn Cokeroft and a wild pitch that allowed Kelly Dreier to score the second run.

Tusculum came right back with a run in the fifth to go on top 4-2 as Beeler led off with a single, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hutcherson. The Pioneers tacked on an insurance run in the seventh as Stroinski tripled with one out and scored on a single by Tavi Parris, only to see the Railsplitters rally in the bottom of the seventh. The first two batters singled for LMU in the bottom of the seventh, and after a fly out the Pioneers wrapped up the win when Ball corralled a grounder to third by Solomon, stepped on the bag and threw across for a game-ending double play.

Cokeroft led the Railsplitters at the plate in game two by going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Meredith Johnson was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Kirstin Toole pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief of Snow, giving up six hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts and no walks.