HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (15-7) swept a doubleheader from the New Haven Chargers (4-7) behind a pair of run-rule victories on a cold and windy Monday afternoon at Dorothy Neely Field.
 
Lincoln Memorial beat the Chargers 9-1 in five innings in game one before completing the sweep with a 14-6 triumph in six innings in the nightcap to extend its winning streak to 10 games, matching the program's longest winning streak since the 2011 campaign. The Lady Railsplitters have now finished off five of the 10 games during its winning streak in run-rule fashion.
 
Lincoln Memorial opens South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday when Catawba pays a visit to Dorothy Neely Field for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 9, New Haven 1 (5 innings)
 
Senior right-hander Brianna Taylor was nearly unhittable once again, limiting the Chargers to three hits to improve to 7-4 on the season. Taylor did not issue a walk and struck out two to drop her ERA to 1.57 for the season.
 
Emma Webb went 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Jacie Pittman went 2-for-3 with a double, her second homer of the season and three RBI to lead the Lady Railsplitters' offensive attack. Ty-Kella Goins (2) and Kelsie Hocutt (1) also drove in runs in the victory.
 
Lexi Hershberger accounted for two of New Haven's three hits while going 2-for-2 with a double.
 
New Haven pitcher Kylie Stonebraker was pegged with the loss following a wild effort in which she allowed eight hits and eight earned runs while walking four and hitting four. She falls to 2-4 on the season with the loss.
 
The Lady Railsplitters took the lead in the bottom of the first inning with an infield single from Webb, which scored Goins after she led off the inning with single. Lincoln Memorial then tacked on another run in the third frame on Pittman's solo shot over the left-field wall.
 
New Haven pushed a run across in the top of the fourth on a sac fly from Kristine Liptack, but the Lady Railsplitters broke the game open in the bottom of that inning. An implosion from Stonebraker helped LMU hang five runs on the board as the New Haven pitcher hit three batters, walked another and threw a wild pitch. Webb and Goins had two-run singles in the inning to capitalize on those chances.
 
The Lady Railsplitters then ended the game early in the bottom of the fifth as Pittman laced a two-run double over the left fielder's head to make it a 9-1 final.
 
Lincoln Memorial finished 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position compared to an 0-for-3 mark for the Chargers.
 
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 14, New Haven 6 (6 innings)
 
Webb and Kaitlyn Walker both drove in four runs with a double as part of 2-for-4 efforts, while Allie Jones went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI to power a 10-hit performance for the Lady Railsplitters, who tallied their highest run total of the season to complete the sweep.
 
Justice Smith picked up her eighth win of the season but allowed eight hits and six runs (four earned) over 4.2 innings of work. The sophomore was in cruise control until the Chargers racked up four hits and four runs in the fifth inning to chase her from the game. Taylor came on in relief with two outs in the fifth and retired four of the five batters she faced to thwart any potential comeback bid.
 
The Chargers committed five errors, including three in the first two innings to help the Lady Railsplitters jump out to a commanding 9-0 lead.
 
Webb had an RBI single while Walker drove in three with a bases-clearing double in the five-run first inning. Webb added a three-run double in the four-run second inning.
 
New Haven refused to go quietly despite falling behind 9-0. The Chargers scored a pair of runs in the top of the third on a throwing error and a sac fly. New Haven then tacked on four more in the fifth to cut the deficit to 9-6. Madison Derosia hit a two-run home run in that inning, while Jovanna Hillman and Vanessa Strohm had RBI singles.
 
The Lady Railsplitters answered back in the bottom of the sixth with a four-run flurry that ended the game. The first four batters of the inning reached safely, including a RBI single by Walker. Goins and Pittman added runs with RBI groundouts before Jones laced the game-winning double off the wall in left field.  
 
Meg Butts was saddled with the loss after allowing all 10 hits and eight earned runs over 5.2 innings of work. The righty walked four, hit two and struck out four to move to 2-3 on the season. Sierra Whitlock went 3-for-4 to account for three of the team's nine hits.