Nacogdoches – Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin split a Southland Conference softball doubleheader Friday as the Lumberjacks won 5-3 in the opener and the Bearkats earned a 12-1 run rule victory in the second.

Sam Houston out-hit Stephen f. Austin 25 to 9 in the doubleheader. Hillary Adams was the Bearkat leader at the plate, going 6-for-8 for the day with two RBIs.

Tiffany Castillo had seven RBIs in the two games including a grand slam home run in the nightcap.

The Bearkats now stand 19-18 for the season and 5-6 in league action. The Lumberjacks are 11-21 for the year and 4-7 in Southland play. The two will meet in the final game of the series Saturday.

A pair of unearned runs in a three-run fourth inning provided the winning margin for SFA in the first game. The Jacks held a 5-1 lead going into the top of the seventh. With two outs, Castillo and Adams each produced RBI singles, but the rally short. Castillo accounted for Sam Houston's first run in the third inning with another run-scoring single.

The Bearkats struck quickly in the nightcap, scoring one in the first inning, five runs in the second and six in the third. Adams went 3-for-4 in the second game while Tori Benavidez, Castillo and Alyssa Coggins each had two hits.

Shelby Lancaster was the losing pitcher in the first game, giving up six hits in four innings. Meme Quinn took the win in the nightcap, allowing three hits and striking out nine batters.