WINGATE, N.C. -- The Lady Railsplitters (12-15) put their eight-game winning streak on the line and open South Atlantic Conference play on Sunday when they head to Wingate, N.C. for a doubleheader against the Wingate Bulldogs (15-5). Here's everything you need to know:
 
Schedule/Game Day Links:
 
Sunday, March 20 at Wingate - Doubleheader at 1 p.m. Live Stats | Video
 
Quick Hits:
-The Lady Railsplitters pushed their winning streak to eight this past weekend with a dominant showing at the West Virginia Wesleyan Tournament in Salem, Va. Lincoln Memorial kicked off that event with an 11-0 win over Ohio Valley and a 14-0 barnstorming of Bowie State on Friday evening. The Lady Railsplitters then completed the four-game sweep on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Mercyhurst and a 4-1 triumph over Concord. LMU is now 8-2 in the month of March, with the only losses coming at the hands of No. 13 North Georgia.
-Sophomore right-hander Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) was selected as the AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after powering the Lady Railsplitters 6-0 showing last week. Taylor went 4-0 by herself with 21 strikeouts and just one earned run allowed over 22 2/3 innings of work. Her week was highlighted by a near no-hitter against Ohio Valley, as she held the Fighting Scots hitless for five innings before finally allowing a pair of singles in the bottom of the sixth. The Ooltewah, Tenn. native is now 7-6 with 58 K's in 84 2/3 innings this season.
-Freshman Lindsay Cecil (Winston-Salem, N.C.) is rocking and rolling for the Lady Railsplitters, as she has hit safely in her last eight appearances. She went 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored in that 11-0 win over Ohio Valley. Over her current eight-game hitting streak, Cecil has lifted her batting average from .219 to .352, which ranks second on the team.
-Sophomore Savannah Couch (Colonial Heights, Va.) has recorded multiple hits in four of her last seven games. She went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored against Bowie State before capping last weekend with a 2-for-2 showing against Concord that included a triple. Couch is ranked seventh in the South Atlantic Conference with a .408 batting average while ranking second in the league in on-base percentage with a .531 clip.
-The Lady Railsplitters finished seventh in the SAC last season with an 11-11 league record. Lincoln Memorial will look for a better start to SAC play this season, though, as the Lady Railsplitters fell to 3-7 out of the gate in 2015 before winning eight of their last 12 league games.
 
Notes on the Bulldogs:
-Since dropping its season-opening series at Belmont Abbey, Wingate has won 15 of its last 18 games to race out to a 15-5 start. The Bulldogs claimed a win over defending National Champions North Georgia back on March 5 and most recently split a twinbill at No. 8 Georgia College last Saturday, losing game one 11-0 before rebounding with an 11-6 win in game two.
-The Bulldogs have been fueled by an absolutely lethal offensive attack that ranks second in the South Atlantic Conference in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.393) and slugging percentage (.502). Wingate has racked up 16 home runs and a SAC-leading seven triples. The Bulldogs have also been one of the harder teams to strikeout in the league with just 80 K's through 20 games. Wingate also doesn't walk much, though, as the Bulldogs have drawn just 40 walks this season.
-Three everyday players are hitting above .400 for the Bulldogs this season. Senior infielder Mellena Helms leads that trio with 27 hits, three doubles, four triples, five home runs, 15 RBI and a .422 batting average. Senior catcher Taylor Laskey is batting .452 with three homers and 12 RBI, while freshman Naomi Sapp is sporting a .424 batting average with a pair of triples and 13 RBI. Senior Emily Usiak leads the Bulldogs in RBI (20) and doubles (9), while junior Misty Doran has also been a factor with four doubles, three round trippers and 15 RBI.
-On the mound, Wingate is bolstered by two pitchers that are carrying almost identical numbers. Senior Stacey Houser enters the weekend with an 8-3 record, a 2.60 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 67 1/3 innings of work. Freshman Rachel Weidner is 7-2 this season with a 2.60 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 64 2/3 innings. The only substantial difference between the two aside from strikeouts is the hits category, as Houser has allowed just 47 hits as compared to 60 by Weidner.
-The Bulldogs aren't much of a threat on the bases, as they have recorded just 10 stolen bases this season, which is tied for the fewest in the South Atlantic Conference. Morgan Hendrix (5) and Helms (4) are responsible for all but one of Wingate's steals.
 
Series History:
-Wingate has won 12 of the 18 all-time meetings against Lincoln Memorial and four of the six that have been played in Wingate, N.C. The Bulldogs swept a doubleheader from the Lady Railsplitters at Dorothy Neely Field last season, winning by scores of 6-5 and 10-3, but Lincoln Memorial got the last laugh by ending the Bulldogs' 2015 season with a 2-1 win in the SAC Tournament.
-The Lady Railsplitters split a doubleheader in their last trip to Wingate in 2012, losing game one 2-0 before bouncing back with a 5-2 win in game two.