CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The 22^nd-ranked Lincoln Memorial University softball team began its first double-header of the 2021 campaign in demanding fashion on Wednesday evening away from home, extinguishing Lee University 15-1 in the opener before piecing together an 11-7 come-from-behind victory in the follow-up contest to achieve the mid-week non-conference sweep.

The offense never relented in Game 1 against the Flames, as the Lady Railsplitters (3-0) compiled their most runs in a single outing in nearly two years, including a mesmerizing 10-score top of the 4^th inning. Later on in the evening, LMU turned a three-run deficit into a five-run advantage courtesy of an 8-0 burst to hold on to the sweep from there.
 
Game 1 – No. 22 Lincoln Memorial def. Lee 15-1
 
In a scoring summary resembling more of a novel thanks to the Lady Railsplitters' unwavering bat power in the opening bout, LMU crushed the Flames from the beginning, scoring all 15 runs in successive fashion. Five different players recorded at least two hits and two RBI in the mercy-rule blowout victory.

The infield tandem of Ty-Kella Goins and Kelsie Tuggle combined for a 6-8 effort at the plate on five RBI, each going 3-4 at bat. Sophomore leftfielder Madison Henry enjoyed a standout performance as well, producing her first collegiate home run behind a team-leading four RBI.

LMU wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard in the shellacking, reaching a 2-0 cushion after the first inning thanks to a McKenzie Henry RBI single and Audrey Petoskey sacrifice fly. That lead expanded to 5-0 at the close of the 3^rd, with Tuggle and Goins each doubling down the left field line to score three more runs.

A seemingly-unstoppable 4^th frame propelled the Lady Railsplitter to the gigantic margin of victory, producing the program's most runs in a single inning in nearly four years.

Since February of 2017, LMU hadn't scored more than eight runs in one period. They managed to outdo that figure by two in the top of the 4^th on Wednesday, featuring 16 at-bats and 10 scores, each adding more fuel to the fire.

A Petoskey centerfield double and Tuggle RBI-single pushed the lead up to 7-0. With both those players still on base, Madison Henry bombed a three-run homer to right field, her first for the blue and gray, to spiral the lead up to 10.

The Lady Railsplitters were far from done with their 4^th inning onslaught, however. A Sierra Hucklebee sacrifice fly and Emma Webb two-RBI single kept ballooning the lead to unreachable proportions, at which point Tuggle's third RBI and Madison Henry's bases-loaded walk mercifully ended the inning for Lee at a 15-0 disadvantage.

It had been nearly three years since LMU put forth a 15-run performance or better, last doing so in a 10-inning thriller at Mars Hill in April 2018. Wednesday's Game 1 annihilation served as the team's most scores in a single game since a 13-6 triumph over Tusculum in April 2019.

Making her first start of 2021 in the team's second appearance, senior Bailey Griffith tossed the entire five-inning contest, letting only four hits pass while striking out a pair of batters.

Reaching a 14-hit total in Wednesday's lopsided outcome, the Lady Railsplitters doubled three times next to Henry's three-run homer. Six different players found home base at least twice in the overwhelming win.
 
Game 2 – No. 22 Lincoln Memorial def. Lee 11-7
 
Fortunately for the Flames, the second matchup of the evening was much more dramatic. In the end, the result stayed the same for the Lady Railsplitters, who withstood a 5-0 bottom of the 2^nd Lee run to counter with an 8-0 flurry of their own to capture the sweep.

Just as in the previous outing, LMU jumped out in front 2-0, this time after the top of the 2^nd had come to a close. A Webb sacrifice fly ball preceded a Hucklebee leftfield RBI, one of three hits for the junior in Game 2, to continue the trend of hot starts for the visitors.

The wheels momentarily fell off for LMU in the bottom of that same inning, however. Lee suddenly boosted the next five scores of the contest off of pitcher Emma Frost, who would bounce back from that momentary lapse to throw all seven innings and gain the victory in the circle.

Two singles from Kylie Bohl and Taylor De Adder, sandwiched in between two RBI doubles by Kayla Gooch and Lily Hatcher put the Flames ahead 5-2 in the blink of an eye. The Lady Railsplitters quickly regained their composure to score the next three runs in the top of the 3^rd, eventually wrestling the lead back in their favor.

Senior centerfielder Bella Buccellato threw out the life jacket for LMU in the 3^rd with a two-RBI double to end the Lee scoring streak. Later that same inning, Goins drove Buccellato back home on a single down the right field line, sending the game into a 5-5 stalemate.

After a 4^th period of no scoring either way, the Lady Railsplitters again showcased their offensive depth in the 5^th by extending their run to 8-0, retaking control of the contest.

It wasn't quite the 10-run bombardment of the previous game's stature, but rather a 5-0 spurt near Game 2's midway point that gave LMU the separation they needed to hold onto the W. Bookended by a pair of Lee miscues to regain the lead, a Goins RBI-double and Hucklebee single down the middle gifted the visitors a 10-5 cushion.

Gooch and Kayla Louie tried to make things interesting for the Flames in the bottom of the 6^th by scoring two straight runs on back-to-back singles, but it wouldn't be enough to prevent the sweep.

Webb provided the punctuation for LMU in their final turn at-bat, launching a solo home run to right field to account for the four-run win.

All eight RBI came from four different players with two each, all from Goins, Hucklebee, Webb, and Buccellato. After failing to record a hit in four tries across the first outing, Hucklebee led the team in the nightcap with a 3-5 effort behind the plate.

Shaking off the five-run 2^nd inning to strike out eight opposing batters, Frost gained credit for the Game 2 win, meaning three different pitchers all stand at 1-0 to start off the season, alongside Griffith earlier in the afternoon and reliever Hayley Tamaro last Saturday vs. Maryville (Mo.)
 
Up Next
 
Bumping up their winning streak to eight games dating back to March 2020, the Lady Railsplitters gear up for an ultra-important non-conference double-header next Wednesday, again on the road. A date with # 6 Young Harris awaits in Georgia on Feb. 17^th.

The DH will serve as a rematch of the 2019 NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional Series, a two-game set in which the Mountain Lions emerged victorious 1-0 and 12-6. Young Harris went 19-3 last spring, and have already begun their 2021 slate at 4-0 as the first team outside the top five in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings.

First pitch in Game 1 from Young Harris will take place at 1:00 p.m., followed by an immediate follow-up contest at 3:00.
 
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 2021 season.