CLEVELAND, Tenn. – After opening the season with a split in Louisville, Ky., the Lady Railsplitters (1-1) hit the road on Wednesday to face the Lee Flames (2-3) in a nonconference doubleheader. The Flames opened the season this past weekend by winning two of five games in Gulf Shores, Ala. First pitch in that twinbill is set for 2 p.m.
Schedule / Game Day Links:
Wednesday, February 7 at Lee
Game One (2pm) –
Live Stats /
Video
Game Two (4:30pm) –
Live Stats /
Video
Quick Hits:
- Freshman catcher
Audrey Petoskey had one of the more memorable debuts in the history of the LMU softball program to help the Lady Railsplitters win the first game of the 2018 campaign and the
Ritchie Richardson era. Petoskey hit a three-run home run on the first pitch of her college career and added another solo shot to power the 5-2 victory over Bellarmine.
- Senior pitcher
Brianna Taylor was brilliant in the win over Bellarmine as well, allowing just four singles and two earned runs while striking out five in the complete game performance. Taylor gave up just a single hit until the Knights scraped together three hits and two runs in the seventh frame.
- The Lady Railsplitters left nine runners stranded on base to suffer a 4-2 loss to Findlay in the second game of that doubleheader on Saturday. The game was tied at 2-2 after a sacrifice flyout from
Kaitlyn Walker in the fourth, but the Oilers struck for two runs in the fifth and held on for the victory. The Lady Railsplitters put two runners on base in the sixth and brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh but couldn't cash in those chances.
- Freshman third baseman
Emma Webb had a solid debut as well for the Lady Railsplitters. She went 1-for-3 and singled in the first at-bat of her career in the win over Bellarmine and added a hit, a walk and an RBI in the loss to Findlay.
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Teddi Collins was the only other player with multiple hits for LMU on Saturday. She went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored against Bellarmine.
- Lincoln Memorial finished just 4-10 in true road games last season compared to a 12-8 mark at Dorothy Neely Field. The Lady Railsplitters will make their home debut on Saturday with a doubleheader against Milligan.
Know the Opponent:
- Lee went 2-3 at the season-opening Gulf Coast Invitational, notching a 4-3 extra-innings win over Nova Southeastern as well as a quick 8-0 victory over Barry. Between those two victories, the Flames suffered a 3-2 extra-innings loss to No. 25 Lenoir-Rhyne, an 8-5 setback to Rollins and a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Spring Hill.
- Brooklynn Frazier and Lily Hatcher had solid weekends for the Flames. Frazier went 6-for-14 with two doubles and three RBI, while Hatcher hit .400 with four singles. Stevie Baird added five hits in 13 plate appearances with one double and a team-leading four RBI.
- Shonna Penney and Leigh Beatenbough did the lion's share of the work in the circle for the Flames, and both were reasonably effective. Penney posted a 1-1 record with a 1.24 ERA in three appearances and two starts. Beatenbough went 1-0 with a 1.31 ERA and eight strikeouts over 10.2 innings of work. Penney was responsible for the best individual performance of the weekend, holding Barry to four hits while striking out four in a complete-game shutout.
- The Flames went 8-for-9 on stolen base attempts over the weekend. Frazier led that effort with a perfect 3-for-3 mark. Hatcher and Baird have two steals apiece.
- Lee was shaky in the field at the Gulf Coast Invitational, committing six errors combined over the five games. That included two miscues against both Rollins and Spring Hill.
- The Flames will be making their Stanley Butler Softball Field debut after posting a sparkling 16-7 record there during the 2017 campaign. Lee went 36-20 last season and made a trip to the NCAA South Super Regional, where their season ended with two losses to West Florida.
Series History:
- The Lady Railsplitters are facing off against Lee for the first time since in 23 years as the two teams last met in April 1995. Lincoln Memorial is 11-10 all-time against the Flames with a 6-6 mark on the road in the series.
