SALEM, Va. – Brianna Taylor tossed a perfect game and
Justice Smith spun a five-hit shutout to lead the Lincoln Memorial softball team to a doubleheader sweep on day one of the Salem Tournament on Friday.
Behind Taylor's spectacular performance and Smith's solid effort following that up as well as 16 combined hits, the Lady Railsplitters (11-7) extended their winning streak to six games with a 9-0 win over Edinboro in game one and a 6-0 victory over West Liberty in game two.
Lincoln Memorial concludes the Salem Tournament on Saturday with games against Winston-Salem State and Salem at noon and 2 p.m.
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 9, Edinboro 0 (5 innings)
Taylor was absolutely flawless in spoiling the Fighting Scots' 2018 opener, retiring all 15 batters she faced while striking out five to record a five-inning perfect game. Taylor, who was the first LMU pitcher since
Samantha Smith in 2015 to not allow a hit in a game, moved to 5-4 on the season with the victory.
The Lady Railsplitter offense did more than enough to support Taylor, racking up eight hits while taking advantage of four Edinboro errors.
Allie Jones went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and
Emma Webb went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead the Lincoln Memorial attack.
Bella Buccellato and
Teddi Collins added a pair of RBI apiece.
The Lady Railsplitters jumped all over the Fighting Scots with three runs in the bottom of the first and five more in the third.
The first five batters of the game reached safely for the Lady Railsplitters while singles from Jones and Webb pushed two runs across. An RBI fielder's choice from Buccellato plated another run and made it 3-0 after one.
The Lady Railsplitters then used five hits and two errors in their five-run fifth frame. Jones, Webb and
Kelsie Hocutt led off with three straight singles. Base knocks from Buccellato and Collins drove in the first three runs of the inning, while a fielder's choice and an error added two more.
Lincoln Memorial tallied its final run of the game in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI groundout from
Audrey Petoskey, which scored Webb after the freshman reached base on a fielding error.
Amanda Metz was saddled with the loss for the Fighting Scots after surrendering seven hits and seven earned runs over 2.1 innings of work. Carley Nasca came on in relief and gave up two unearned runs and one hit over the final 1.2 frames.
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 6, West Liberty 0
Following right on the heels of Taylor's perfect game, Smith did her best to replicate that performance, limiting the Hilltoppers to just five hits (one extra-base knock) and no runs while striking out one without a walk. The sophomore righty moved to 6-3 on the season with the victory.
Jones went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored, while Hocutt added a double and an RBI as part of a 2-for-3 performance.
Grace Cochran and
Kaitlyn Walker also drove in runs for the Lady Railsplitters.
The Lady Railsplitters jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI single from Jones and an RBI double by Hocutt.
After Smith held West Liberty to just two hits over the next three innings, Lincoln Memorial tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth on Cochran's RBI double and Walker's two-out RBI single.
The Lady Railsplitters added a run in the sixth and seventh frames. A passed ball allowed Hocutt to score in the sixth after she reached base via a single. Jones capped the scoring with her seventh-inning RBI double.
Allie Cook led West Liberty with a pair of hits, while Katie Beeman accounted for the lone extra-base hit with a third-inning double.
Savanna Sieger fell to 1-2 on the season after allowing two runs and two hits over three innings of work. Taylor Wright wasn't any better, giving up six hits and three earned runs over the final four frames.
