HARROGATE, Tenn. – Coming into the team's second home South Atlantic Conference series of 2021, the Lincoln Memorial University softball squad had amassed a 10-1 record in games decided by three runs or less. They wouldn't need to pull out any late-game heroics against Mars Hill on Wednesday, however. Stifling the Lions to just four hits and zero runs, the Lady Railsplitters cruised past their league adversary to capture their 18^th and 19^th straight victories at Dorothy Neely Field in a streak that has lasted over 13 months.

In one of the most impressive pitching performances in recent memory, sophomore Emma Frost set a new program-record for strikeouts in a five-inning contest by fanning 12 of 15 batters faced in an 8-0 route in Wednesday's opener, not allowing a single hit to get by. Junior Bailey Griffith was just as immaculate in the second half of the DH, pulling out another shutout by an even larger cushion of 10-0 for the team's fourth consecutive sweep.
 
Game 1 – No. 4 Lincoln Memorial def. Mars Hill 8-0 (5 Innings)
 
On a day where LMU (20-1, 9-1 SAC) accomplished its highest National Fastpitch Coaches Association ranking in school history for the 2^nd time this year, the 4^th-ranked Lady Railsplitters made quick work of the Lions thanks to Frost's perfect game in the circle, collecting the most K's in a single game since April of 2013, tied for the fifth most in the history of the program for a single game. No MHU batter saw more than two trips to the plate in the mercy-rule decision, while the Lions didn't let a single hit get by the LMU defense on the three occasions that Frost didn't record a strikeout.

Of the Lady Railsplitters' 22 hits on Wednesday, 12 came from the quartet of Ty-Kella Goins, Emma Webb, Grace Cochran, and Bella Buccellato. Those four combined to go 8-12 at the plate in the eight-run Game 1 victory, gathering four scores each in the 4^th and 5^th periods.

As Frost kept shunning nearly every batter, Buccellato put LMU on the board with a two-RBI double to left field, one of seven doubles for the blue and gray in Game 1 alone, matching three other performances for the fourth-most in a single contest in school history. In total, the Lady Railsplitters doubled 10 times in the DH from eight different players. All seven doubles in Wednesday's opener came from someone hitting their first of the day.

As if those absurd batting totals weren't enough, Goins provided a triple to left field in the very next at-bat after Buccellato broke the scoreless tie, putting LMU in front 3-0. Goins was able to extend the lead to four thanks to a Mars Hill fielder's choice error to close the one-sided 4^th inning.

Once Frost retired her 11^th and 12^th batters of the afternoon in the top of the 5^th to polish off a remarkable showing in the circle, the Lady Railsplitter offense made sure that the sophomore's pitch count would subside at just 62 by scoring the next four runs in the bottom of the inning to snatch the mercy-rule W.

Reaching on a fielder's choice to gather her 3^rd RBI of the game, Buccellato scored outfield mate Sami West to push the lead to a five-run margin. A Goins sacrifice fly ball and a pair of RBI-doubles from Sierra Hucklebee and McKenzie Henry put the finishing touches on a 13-0 hitting discrepancy and an eight-run cakewalk.

MHU starter Marissa Adame took the loss at the pitcher's spot, giving up all but two of LMU's scores on the afternoon. Along with her perfect game extravaganza, Frost improved to 8-1 individually in the team's fourth mercy-rule win of the year. The fifth such victory was soon to follow.
 
Game 2 – No. 4 Lincoln Memorial def. Mars Hill 10-0 (5 Innings)
 
A disastrous start for the Lions (10-11, 1-7 SAC) signaled another early decision after the Lady Railsplitters reeled off eight consecutive scores in the bottom of the first stanza. MHU starter Kayla Gallagher would be relieved by Emily Van Horn after the lopsided start in a stretch where LMU only needed three hits to go up by a commanding margin.

Hucklebee landed her second RBI of the day to open the floodgates of the scoring avalanche, launching a double to left center that scored Goins. A defensive fielding error caused Madison Henry to find home in the next at-bat, before the next three runs came with the bases loaded, all either by a walk or an HBP.

An RBI ground-out from Goins opened up a seam for West to notch her second run of the doubleheader, and by the time Madison Henry lined up a double down the middle to score Hucklebee and Cochran later in the inning, the score already read 8-0 in favor of the 4th-ranked team in the nation.

The next LMU score also occurred off a Madison Henry hit, this time in the form of an RBI-single to the same spot to bring Buccellato around the diamond in the bottom of the 3^rd. The senior centerfielder added one final run for good measure in the next frame on a single through the left side, concluding the day with an 18-0 advantage for Head Coach Ritchie Richardson's group through both games.

Griffith moved to 6-0 in the commanding win, striking out five Lions while giving up just four hits, none of which dealt any long-lasting damage. With the midweek sweep, the Lady Railsplitters have now bested Mars Hill on five straight occasions dating back to 2019, improving to 11-0 in Harrogate thus far on the year.

Up Next
 
Staying at home over the weekend in another South Atlantic Conference two-parter, LMU awaits a Saturday series with Queens at Dorothy Neely Field with start times scheduled for 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.

The Royals have begun their 2021 slate at 6-10 next to a 2-6 SAC resume. In their last appearance on Sunday, Queens picked up their most impressive victory of the season to this point by shutting out preseason conference favorite Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C. by a 9-0 clip in Game 2 to snap a three-game losing skid.

Winners of nine meetings in 16 go-arounds against the Royals all-time, the Lady Railsplitters last competed against Queens in 2019, splitting a doubleheader with their conference foe thanks to a 5-4 win in the opener.
 
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.