YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Making their first road trip of the 2020 season for a pair of neutral site contests on Sunday afternoon, the No. 8 Lincoln Memorial University softball team let defense rule the first game, then let their offense do the talking in the nightcap.

LMU (11-1) picked up its ninth and 10^th consecutive victories at E.D. Rivers Field on the campus of Young Harris College, downing Shorter University 6-2, before outgunning Columbus State 11-7.

Ahead of their first South Atlantic Conference series of the year with Anderson on Wednesday, the Lady Railsplitters kept it rolling with 18 hits in total on the day, securing 17 runs in the Sunday sweep, their fifth perfect day of the season already.
 
Game 1 – No. 8 Lincoln Memorial def. Shorter 6-2
 
The Hawks (1-9, 0-3 GLVC) threatened Lincoln Memorial on numerous occasions in LMU's first game in exactly a week due to a pair of weather-related postponements, as the Hawks were just hours off their first win of the year earlier in the day over Catawba in an eight-inning marathon.

But the Lady Railsplitter defense never cracked with their backs against the wall, forcing the Hawks into nine runners left on base overall, including at least two in the fifth, sixth, and seventh periods.

LMU wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, with junior first baseman Emma Webb guiding Sierra Hucklebee to home on an RBI-single in the bottom of the first. This came after a sensational defensive save by freshman outfielder Madison Henry to prevent the Hawks from striking first.

Before Lincoln Memorial's opening score, Shorter placed one runner in scoring position with just a single out gone. Henry, playing in centerfield, secured a fly ball for the second out, before rifling a pass to catcher Audrey Petoskey, catching the would-be scorer out at home for a monstrous double play.

The Lady Railsplitters brought their lead up to 3-0 in the bottom of the second, thanks to an RBI-single from senior Ty-Kella Goins that scored Henry, preceding a stolen home base by sophomore Tori Voiles.

Shorter managed to cut into the lead by one in the fourth frame, although LMU answered right back that same inning with a score of their own. Grace Cochran sprinted to home after Henry grounded out, pinning the lead up to 4-1.

Escaping the fifth stanza unscathed with bases loaded, the Lady Railsplitters prevented the Hawks from doing some serious damage thanks to a Faith Howe strikeout for out # 3. The sophomore pitcher grabbed the win in the circle, throwing six innings before getting relief from Justice Smith.

Goins landed her first run of the day in the bottom the fifth after a Webb fly, before Hucklebee followed behind on a right field double by Petoskey. Now in front by a five-score margin, LMU needed two more Houdini-esque defensive sequences with the Hawks continuing to put runners on bases. Luckily for the blue and gray, they got just what they were looking for.

With two more runners in place in the sixth frame, Howe forced a ground ball right back to her to easily pick up a crucial third out in that sequence. Once Smith subbed in for the seventh, Shorter landed their second score on a ground out to make it 6-2, still leaving two other runners on the field. Madison Henry corralled a line drive to centerfield on the next batter, preserving the victory in an impressive defensive performance.
 
Game 2 – No. 8 Lincoln Memorial def. Columbus State 11-7
 
Part two of Sunday's doubleheader against the Cougars (6-7) served as a glorified home run party, with an astonishing seven long-balls between the two clubs highlighting an otherworldly offensive back-and-forth.

It seemed as though the Lady Railsplitters would grasp their fifth win of the year via the mercy rule, jumping out to a 7-0 advantage with only three innings gone.

Webb would kick off the home run derby in the very first period, launching a deep ball to centerfield to score herself and Hucklebee, the Knoxville native's first HR of 2020.

LMU unleashed five more scores in the top of the third, coming on two more home runs by Hucklebee and Petoskey, who recorded perhaps her most impressive singular performance in the blue and gray.

Hucklebee rained in the team's second 2-RBI homer of the day by also bringing in Goins, and later in the inning, with Webb and freshman pinch runner Laken Phillips already on-base, Petoskey bombed to left center, completing a 7-0 Lady Railsplitter flurry.

Columbus State roared back in quick fashion, however, registering the next four runs in succession. After a solo home run in the bottom of the third, right after LMU's downpour, the Cougars landed two more long-balls in the next inning, another solo which came before a two-run homer to make it 7-4 in the blink of an eye.

Solidifying the nightcap as a game of runs, Lincoln Memorial delivered another haymaker in the top of the sixth, in the form of four straight scores to bring the lead right back up to seven.
Once McKenzie Henry reached on a CSU fielding error, Goins found her way home yet again. Petoskey stepped up to the plate once more, duplicating her 3-RBI home run from earlier in the day to score Henry and Webb, ballooning the advantage to 11-4.

All in all, Petoskey recorded an eye-popping six RBI in the four-run triumph, bringing the team's home run total to six after having only two entering the doubleheader. Half of those homers have come from the junior, who already possesses a walk-off home run in the team's extra inning thriller over Cedarville last weekend.

Columbus State managed to make the score slightly less favorable by putting in two more scores in the bottom of the seventh, but by then, it was too little too late. The Lady Railsplitters needed contributions from Bailey Griffith, Emma Frost, and Smith to keep the Cougars at bay long enough to collect the win, with the W officially going to Griffith. This keeps the sophomore's record unblemished at 6-0 faced with the biggest threat of the season to this point on Sunday.

Besting Shorter and CSU by a combined score of 17-9, LMU was able to withstand the 10 hits powered in by the Cougars to extend their winning streak to 10 games. After seeing all of their previous 10 games at home, the Lady Railsplitters were tested at a neutral site, but ultimately kept their streak intact.
 
Up Next
 
With their 13-game road stretch only just beginning, Lincoln Memorial heads to Anderson, South Carolina on Wednesday afternoon for the first pitch in SAC play against the Trojans. AU currently stands at 8-4 awaiting a Monday doubleheader with Chowan, predicted to finish third in the league across the preseason projections.

Last spring, the Lady Railsplitters crossed paths with the Trojans four times in total, splitting the regular season meeting at Dorothy Neely Field. After winning the first outing 6-3 before dropping the second, 4-1, LMU was upended by Anderson in the semifinals of the SAC Tournament, 6-3. Lincoln Memorial got the last laugh, however, ending the Trojans' season in the NCAA Tournament's Southeast Regional, 4-3.

Wednesday's two-parter in South Carolina is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start time for Game 1, followed by an approximate 4:00 p.m. first pitch in Game 2.
 
How to Follow
 
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms —@LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram — for more LMU softball coverage across the 2020 season.