LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Lady Railsplitters kicked off the 2018 campaign and head coach Ritchie Richardson's tenure in the Blue and Gray by earning a split on Saturday at the Bellarmine Round Robin. Lincoln Memorial (1-1) started the day with a 5-2 win over host Bellarmine before falling to Findlay 4-2 in the nightcap.
 
Day two of the Bellarmine Round Robin was cancelled due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. The Lady Railsplitters will return to action on Wednesday, February 7 when they pay the Lee Flames a visit for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
 
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 5, Bellarmine 2
 
Freshman catcher Audrey Petoskey had a collegiate debut to remember, powering the Lady Railsplitters past the Knights with a pair of home runs.
 
Lincoln Memorial took an early lead in the top of the second when Teddi Collins drove home Emma Webb, who recorded a single in the first at-bat of her career to kick off the inning. In the very next at-bat, Petoskey hammered the first pitch she saw over the fence to put three more runs across and stake the Lady Railsplitters to a 4-0 lead.
 
Petoskey hit her second homer of the day to lead off the top of the fifth inning to increase the lead to 5-0.
 
That proved to be more than enough support for senior Brianna Taylor, who was brilliant in the circle for the Lady Railsplitters. Taylor allowed just one hit – a second-inning single – through the first six frames until the Knights rallied to bring two runs across in the bottom of the seventh.
 
All told, Taylor gave up just four singles, walked one and struck out five on an efficient 78 pitches to pick up the victory. She faced the minimum in four of her seven innings of work.
 
Kelsie Hocutt and Ashlea Hunter also added singles in the victory.
 
Rachel Ayer accounted for two of Bellarmine's six hits, while Katie Stamper and Ciara Incorvati drove in both of the Knights' runs.
 
The Lady Railsplitters improved to 14-8 all-time against Bellarmine with the victory and defeated the Knights for the fourth time in the last five matchups.
 
Game Two: Findlay 4, Lincoln Memorial 2
 
The Lady Railsplitters put at least one runner on base every inning and piled up five hits and four walks but left nine stranded on base to suffer a letdown against the Oilers.
 
Lincoln Memorial took the lead in the top of the first when Ty-Kella Goins led off with a single and scored on Webb's two-out base knock. But Findlay answered back in the bottom of that inning, tying it up on Destinie Keeton's two-out single before taking the lead on a double steal.
 
After a couple uneventful innings, the Lady Railsplitters fought back to tie the game in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly out by Kaitlyn Walker, which scored Petoskey after the freshman drew a leadoff walk.
 
The Oilers took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth, though, as the first three batters of the inning reached via a walk and two singles. The second single compliments of Kelley Cejer brought what proved to be the game-winning run home, while Salwa Al-Hajabed drove in an insurance run with a sacrifice groundout later in the inning.
 
The Lady Railsplitters put two runners on with one out in the sixth and brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh but came up empty handed both times to suffer the loss.
 
Sophomore Justice Smith went the distance for the Lady Railsplitters, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out three to take the defeat in her season debut.
 
Molly Crosby picked up the win for Findlay after tossing four innings of one-hit, four-strikeout relief.
 
Lincoln Memorial's one through four hitters finished with a single hit apiece while the rest of the batting order went a combined 1-for-11. Petoskey had another solid outing by reaching base in two of her three at-bats and scoring a run.