HARROGATE, Tenn. --- Senior Rachel Wilburn drove in the winning run in the ninth inning of game one, and Lincoln Memorial University walked off with a 3-2 come-from behind victory in the night cap as Tusculum College split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with the Railsplitters on Tuesday afternoon at Neely Field.
The Pioneers (7-11, 1-3 SAC) out-hit the Railsplitters (21-9, 1-3 SAC) 10-to-8 on the day, owning a slim 5-4 margin in base knocks in each game. Ashley Burke, Taylor MacDonald, and Shanda Kimbrough each had two hits for Tusculum; Kimbrough, Wilburn, and Kristin Cantrell each recorded an RBI for the Pioneers.
Holli Cadenhead (5-4) hurled a shutout in game one, scattering four hits and striking out five while pitching the full nine innings. Erin Searcy (2-5) got the nod in game two, allowing one earned run on four hits in six and two-thirds innings of work.
Meghan LaFevor went 3-for-5 in the twin-bill with a pair of doubles for LMU, while Ashley Legge recorded Lincoln Memorial's lone RBI on the day. Brittany Stuive chipped in two hits on the day for the Railsplitters. LaFevor (12-4) made the start in game one, allowing one unearned run on five hits and striking out five. Cierra Mudd (7-4) got the nod in the night cap, allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings of work.
Game One: Tusculum 1, Lincoln Memorial 0 (9 innings)
Game one featured a pair of impressive pitching performances by Cadenhead and LaFevor as neither team crossed the plate until the ninth inning, when Wilburn stroked an RBI single to left center to score Brittany Hunley to provide the difference in the contest.
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 3, Tusculum 2
The Pioneers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the night cap, scoring a run in each of the second and third innings on an RBI groundout by Cantrell in the second, and an RBI single by Kimbrough in the third following a double by MacDonald.
Lincoln Memorial battled back, cutting the margin to 2-1 in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Legge before walking off with a 3-2 win in the bottom of the seventh on a single by Chelley Christian and a Pioneer error, allowing Stuive and Christian to score and cap the comeback.
Tusculum returns to the diamond on Saturday when the Pioneers host No. 20 Lenoir-Rhyne University in a SAC doubleheader at Red Edmonds Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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