Augusta, Ga. - The No. 20 Lenoir-Rhyne University Softball Team (27-5) split a doubleheader with 10th-ranked Augusta State University (25-7) Wednesday afternoon at Jaguar Field.? The Jaguars won the first contest in eight innings, 7-6, before the Bears rallied to win the nightcap, 6-5.

Game One - Augusta State 7, Lenoir-Rhyne 6 (eight innings)
Augusta State's Alyssa Pingree (New Castle, Calif.) drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Jaguars rallied from a 4-1 deficit to snap L-R's five-game winning streak.

Junior shortstop Kat Rivers (Royston, Ga.) hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning as Lenoir-Rhyne built a 4-1 advantage after five-and-a-half innings of play.

Augusta State tied the game at four with three runs in its half of the sixth thanks to back-to-back home runs from Jessica Thornton (Blackshear, Ga.) and Kristen Jones (Plant City, Fla.).

Both teams scored twice in the seventh frame to force extra innings.?

Rivers connected on a run-scoring double in the top of the seventh inning to help L-R build a 6-4 advantage.

However, Thornton drew a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch by L-R scored Augusta State's sixth run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Rivers finished with two hits and three runs batted in while senior designated player Ashley Duckworth (Conover, N.C.) went three-for-three and hit her 13th home run of the season despite the setback for L-R.

Thornton homered twice and drove in four to lead Augusta State.

Augusta State's Sara DeMuth (Plant City, Fla.) improved to 11-2 with the win after striking out 12 batters while L-R freshman Alex Smith (Cocoa, Fla.) (11-3) suffered the setback.

Box Score

Game Two - Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Augusta State 5
Trailing 5-4, L-R scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to salvage the split.? An RBI double by sophomore catcher Sarah Atkins (Newport News, Va.) proved to be the game-winner.

L-R scored twice in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead capped off by a run-scoring single from junior outfielder Heather Brock (Yadkinville, N.C.).

An RBI double from Duckworth pushed the lead to 3-1 in the third inning before Augusta State took advantage of two L-R errors in its half of third to tie the contest at three.

After Augusta State took the lead at 4-3 with a run on another Lenoir-Rhyne error in the fourth, Rivers tied the game at four with her team-leading 14th home run of the year in the top of the fifth inning.

An RBI by Jones gave the Jaguars the advantage again (5-4) in the sixth before L-R rallied to take the lead for good in the seventh inning.

Rivers scored three times for Lenoir-Rhyne while sophomore Lauren Harris (Yadkinville, N.C.) remained unbeaten on the year as she picked up the win to move to 5-0.? Smith recored the final out with the bases loaded to register the save.

Augusta State's Kimberly Kennedy (Rutledge, Ga.) fell to 4-2 with the loss.

The Jaguars' Leeann Barber (Wrightsville, Ga.) finished with three hits and three runs scored in the losing effort.

Box Score

Lenoir-Rhyne returns home to face Lincoln Memorial in its South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.