HARROGATE, Tenn.  — The Young Harris College softball team overcame a six-run deficit to defeat Lincoln Memorial University 12-6 as they captured their first-ever NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional title Friday (May 17) afternoon at Dorothy Neely Field.

The Mountain Lions improved to 42-18, while the Railsplitters ended their season at 38-15. Young Harris advances to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship held in Denver, Colorado, beginning Thursday (May 23). The NCAA will announce the pairings of the championship Saturday (May 18).

Lincoln Memorial tagged Nikkie Kovalsky for three runs and scored two off of Louisa Disi in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Railsplitters went ahead 6-0 in the fourth off an Allie Jones double to left field.

Emily Harris put the Mountain Lions on the board in the bottom half of the fourth with a two-run single to left center. After an RBI single from Katelynn Hodges in the fifth inning, Morgan Curley brought YHC within one (6-5) with a two RBI single up the middle.

Hodges started a seven-run sixth inning as she gave the Mountain Lions a 7-6 lead as she hit a two RBI double to left field. Two more runs came into score off an error after Curley reached on a fielder's choice. Harris picked up her third RBI of the day with a single to left center. Grace Botti concluded the inning with a double down the left field line that plated two.

Kovalsky (28-11) picked up the win for Young Harris as she gave up three runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings pitched.

Harris went 4-for-5 with three RBI, while Hodges went a perfect 3-for-3 and drove in three runs. Curley and Botti each collected two hits and two RBI. Michalyn Bingham and Kristan Lizardi had two hits and scored two runs apiece.

Bailey Griffith (16-9) earned the loss for LMU as she gave up four runs on three hits with one walk in 0.2 innings of relief.

https://yhcathletics.com