HARROGATE, Tenn. – Bringing their winning streak up to 14 games, capturing their 14^th and 15^th straight victories at Dorothy Neely Field, and staying undefeated in 2021 across Tuesday's South Atlantic Conference series with UVA Wise, the Lincoln Memorial University softball squad used an explosive offensive attack in Game 1 and a methodical pitching scheme in Game 2 to sweep the Cavaliers under the sun.

Behind a pair of Audrey Petoskey dingers in consecutive at-bats on 4 RBI, the 20^th-ranked Lady Railsplitters (9-0, 2-0 SAC) run-ruled UVA Wise in part one of Tuesday's doubleheader by a 10-2 margin, before sophomore pitcher Emma Frost produced her second starting shutout in a row across a 3-0 triumph in the second half of the DH.
 
Game 1 – No. 20 Lincoln Memorial def. UVA Wise 10-2 (6 innings)
 
What began as a game of one-upmanship ended as an eight-run rout for LMU, who pounded the Cavaliers (1-4-1, 0-2 SAC) in the conference matinee, thanks to a quartet of extra-base hits highlighted by the two Petoskey long-balls. The first of those home runs occurred in the bottom of the 2^nd in the senior's first at-bat of the day, launching a solo bomb to left field to put the Lady Railsplitters ahead.

The Cavs would briefly take over the lead in their next go-around, landing their only two scores of the entire day in the top of the 3^rd period. An RBI-single from Jenna McDermott, part of her 3-3 day at the plate, preceded an Alexis Miles sacrifice fly ball to score Kara Long and give UVA Wise the slim 2-1 cushion. It wouldn't stay that way for long, however.

Putting the visitors away thanks to a five-run flurry in the bottom of that same inning, LMU quickly wrestled the advantage away from the Cavaliers with a Sierra Hucklebee RBI-double and Emma Webb single past second base, scoring senior Grace Cochran. As Webb and Hucklebee still stood on base, Petoskey lined up another bomb to the exact same spot on the field as her previous homer, suddenly hoisting the LMU lead up to 6-2.

As starting pitcher Bailey Griffith only surrendered one hit across the next two innings, the Lady Railsplitters leaped at the chance to extend the lead, doing so on the final at-bat of the 5^th inning in the first ever trip to the plate for freshman pinch hitter Katie Tuggle.

Scoring both her sister Kelsie and Petoskey with a two-RBI single past the UVA Wise shortstop, Tuggle's first collegiate hit ballooned the Lady Railsplitter lead to a margin of six.

Keeping the Cavaliers scoreless in the 6^th frame, LMU denied the visitors a chance for their final series at-bat with two more runs to signify the mercy rule victory. As second baseman Ty-Kella Goins zoomed a single past the circle, senior rightfielder Grace Cochran tallied her second triple in three days to bring the score to 9-2.

Hucklebee portended the early curtain call in the next at-bat, tapping a perfectly-placed bunt to bring Cochran home and secure the team's eighth consecutive W to begin the 2021 campaign.
Reaching a ten-hit total in the six-inning win, seven different Lady Railsplitters accumulated at least one strike, led by two apiece from Petoskey, Hucklebee, and Goins. Griffith shelved three batters to improve to 3-0 personally on the year, giving up eight hits in 25 at-bats.

One other UVA Wise performer recorded more than one hit in the loss alongside McDermott, they being infielder Kaylee Jones.
 
Game 2 – No. 20 Lincoln Memorial def. UVA Wise 3-0
 
The Lady Railsplitters let their defense do the talking in the second half of Tuesday's sweep, as Frost struck out 11 batters while allowing only two hits on zero walks. The low-scoring affair wouldn't prevent LMU from powering in another home run though, their third of the day courtesy of reigning AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week McKenzie Henry.

It would be until the bottom of the 4^th inning that LMU put an end to the scoreless tie, having only given up a single hit to the Cavaliers at that point. With Hucklebee already on base thanks to a single to left center, Henry fired the ball past the left field wall to put the Lady Railsplitters ahead 2-0.

With UVA Wise still saddled with a single hit approaching the bottom of the 5^th stanza, Cochran managed a sacrifice fly ball to centerfield, leaving the runway open for Goins to sprint to home plate. The three-run tally was all the Lady Railsplitters needed to grab their 14^th win in a row dating back to March 2020.

Upon her second straight shutout win, Frost has now struck out 19 batters in her last two appearances, having fanned eight others in Saturday's 7-0 defeat of Ohio Dominican. The Game 2 win over UVA Wise sits both Frost and Griffith with 3-0 records towards their individual resumes.

Behind Henry's first homer of 2021, Goins added some extra fireworks for the Lady Railsplitters with a double and triple in the three-run triumph. LMU has outscored its opponents 44-15 in their first seven appearances at Dorothy Neely Field this season.
 
Up Next
 
Aiming for the program's best start to a season since the 2011 campaign, the Lady Railsplitters prepare for a quick turnaround with their six-game home-stand now in the rearview mirror. Competing away from Harrogate for the second time in 2021, LMU travels to Bristol, Tenn. on Wednesday afternoon to meet the King Tornado in another non-conference doubleheader.

King boasts a 3-1 record awaiting Wednesday's meeting, having also swept UVA Wise on Sunday by the nearly identical scores of 3-2 and 3-1. All three of the Tornado's wins thus far have occurred over South Atlantic Conference representatives, having bested Carson-Newman in their season opener 8-2.

LMU has defeated King 22 times in 30 meetings all-time, producing a 7-3 record when playing in Bristol. The Lady Railsplitters swept the Tornado in Harrogate last season by scores of 9-4 and 9-7.
First pitch of Game 1 on Wednesday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., followed immediately by the second outing slated for approximately 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.