STATESBORO, Ga. - Behind a big pinch-hit, two-RBI double from Andrea McKenzie, the Georgia Southern softball team rallied to take an 8-3 win over Troy University Sunday on a chilly day at Eagle Field in the rubber game of a three-game conference series.

The Eagles wasted little time in getting on the board as they plated a run in the first inning. After Emily Snider drew a two-out walk, she came all the way around from first base to score on Morgan Robinson's double to the gap. In the third inning, Lydia Witkowski blasted her first home run of the season, a solo shot that went off the cages in right field.

The Trojans got on the board in the fifth inning, using a bases-loaded hit by pitch and then a bases-loaded walk to tie the game up. In the sixth inning, Troy strung together three straight hits to plate a run and take the lead.

Trailing 3-2 going to the bottom of the sixth inning, the Eagles erupted for six runs to snatch the lead back. After getting two runners on, head coach Annie Smith decided to go to the bench and insert McKenzie, who came through in a big way. The senior doubled to the gap to give GS the lead and then the floodgates opened as Witkowski and Mekhia Freeman singled to drive in two more runs. Snider capped off the rally with a two-run home run to right field, her seventh of the season. The seven home runs ties her career high for a season that she set last season in over 50 games.

Witkowski had a big day at the plate, picking up three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Snider and Robinson both had two hits while Freeman, Macy Weeks and McKenzie all had one.

Dixie Raley went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts, but didn't factor into the decision. Kierra Camp (W, 4-4) picked up the win in relief, tossing 1.2 innings of scoreless and hitless ball.

QUOTABLES:
"Winning series in conference play is so important," Smith said. "It's going to be a battle all year long and they're a great team, so this is a big win for us to come back the way we did in the sixth inning. Kierra came in and shut the door after Dixie threw a great game. We got some big hits at the plate, including two from pinch hitters, and the Emily got the big home run at the end. We just kept battling and battling and played error-free defense again and in the end, this is a big series win for us." 

UP NEXT:
GS (12-10, 2-1 SBC) heads to No. 11 Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide Wednesday in a single game starting at 6 p.m. (CT) before heading to Louisiana for a three-game set at ULM this weekend.