HARROGATE, Tenn. - Fighting for a spot in the South Atlantic Conference tournament, the Anderson softball team dropped a league doubleheader to Lincoln Memorial, 8-2 and 6-3, Thursday afternoon at Neely Field.

With the setbacks, Anderson (21-20, 3-13 SAC) was eliminated from contention in next week's tourney, while Lincoln Memorial improved to 25-20 overall and 6-10 in the league.

The doubleheader was originally set to be played earlier this week was rescheduled due to poor weather conditions..

Game #1
Lincoln-Memorial 8, Anderson 2

In the opening game, Lincoln-Memorial jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as a result of back-to-back first-inning home runs by Taylor McGinnis and Sarah Walz. The Railsplitters extended that lead in the following inning with a Meg Ryan double that brought home teammate Ashley Knight.

Anderson grabbed a run in the fourth inning with a home run by Abby Child. Her ninth homer of the season sailed over the centerfield wall to bring the Trojans within two.

In the bottom half of the fourth inning, the Lincoln-Memorial offense exploded for four runs. With RBI-singles by McGinnis and Bridget Eicher, the home team was able to put the game out of reach.

Emily Monteith homered in the seventh inning, but the senior's blast would come too late, as the Trojans dropped the first game.

Casey Deer started the game for the Trojans and gave a complete-game effort. She gave up six earned runs off of 12 hits.

Game #2

Lincoln Memorial 6, Anderson 3

In game two, LMU started the scoring with a McGinnis single in the bottom of the first inning. The Lady Railsplitters scored another run in the opening inning to take an early 2-0 lead.

The Trojans quickly knotted things back up in the second inning when Monteith hit a two- run blast over the left-field wall - the senior's second home run in as many games.

In the Lincoln Memorial part of the inning, Eicher hit a long ball to quickly regain the lead for the Railsplitters.

Lincoln-Memorial took control of the game in the bottom of the fourth as Cierra Mudd scored on an error and Brittany Stuive drove in a second run with a single. The Trojan miscue led to two runs in the inning and increased the LMU lead to 5-2.

The teams traded runs in the final inning, but that wouldn't matter as the Railsplitters were able to take the nightcap.

Deer (14-14) and Alex Waldroup each tossed three innings as they combined to give up six runs off five hits.

Monteith and Child again accounted for all of the Trojan runs as they went a combined four-for-seven, knocking in the three runs.

The Trojans will take Smether's field for one final time in the 2011 campaign when they take on South Atlantic Conference foe Mars Hill. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.