HARROGATE, Tenn. - - UVa-Wise dropped a pair of games to Lincoln Memorial University Saturday afternoon on the road. The Cavs fell to the Railsplitters 10-2 in game one before dropping game two 4-1.
The Railsplitters (14-4) used a five-run fifth inning to end game one with a 10-2 victory over the Cavs (5-3).
LMU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a pair of RBI singles.
UVa-Wise sophomore Casey Chambers reached second base in the top of the second inning on a single to left field followed by a sacrifice bunt by senior Shannon Bennett, but an out at second on a fielder's choice would leave the Railsplitters lead at 2-0 into the bottom of the inning.
LMU scored in each of the next three innings with an RBI single through the left side giving the Railsplitters a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
The Cavs looked to get on the board in the top of the fourth with junior Nikki Smith advancing to second on a walk. A double play would leave the Cavs with one stranded once again going into the bottom of the frame as the Railsplitters extended their lead to five runs on a homer in the bottom of the fourth inning.
UVa-Wise pushed two runs across in the top of the fifth with a leadoff single by Bennett before she scored on a triple to right field off the bat of sophomore Kaylee Jones. Jones then scored on a throwing error by the Railsplitters' catcher as the Cavs trailed 5-2 going into the home half of the inning.
LMU opened up the scoring in the fifth with a leadoff double to left field before advancing to third on a passed ball and scoring on a wild pitch. The Railsplitters would get four more across on an RBI single, throwing error, ground out and fly out to end the game with LMU earning a 10-2 victory.
UVa-Wise finished with four hits in the game while LMU registered 11 hits. Jones, Bennett, and Chambers each recorded a run as junior Raychel Lapallo fell to 1-2 on the season, scattering seven hits and striking out one in 3 1/3 innings inside the circle.
LMU's Bailey Griffith improved to 6-2 on the season as she allowed four hits with four strike outs in five innings of work.
Scoreless through the first inning of game two, LMU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a RBI single to center field.
UVa-Wise recorded two hits in the top of the fourth with a one-out single down the left field line by Chambers followed by a double off the bat of Kailyn Spencer putting the Cavs in scoring position. The Cavs would get caught stealing before a strike out would send the teams into the bottom of the frame as LMU maintained a 1-0 advantage.
The Railsplitters drove home two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff double down the right field line before LMU scored on a throwing error. LMU would score on a groundout to extend the Railsplitters lead to 3-0 to end the inning.
The Cavs would go three up, three down across the fifth and sixth innings while LMU scored an unearned run in the home half of the fifth on a sacrifice bunt.
UVa-Wise scored its first run of game two on a homer to center field off the bat of Chambers. The Cavs would attempt to score again but three consecutive outs would end the game as LMU swept the Cavs with a 4-1 game two win.
Chambers finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a run while Spencer also went 2-for-3 in game two.
Spencer (3-1) suffered her first loss of the season inside the circle as she scattered four hits and fanned one across six innings.
The Railsplitters' Justice Smith (5-0) earned the win allowing five hits with 11 strikeouts in a complete game effort.
UVa-Wise returns to action for their home opener Wednesday afternoon against Mars Hill University. Game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Cavalier Field.
