GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Backing up their claim to a second consecutive South Atlantic Conference Regular Season title, the top-seeded Lincoln Memorial University softball squad overcame eighth-seeded UVA Wise for the fifth time in 2021 on Friday afternoon at a neutral site in the SAC Quarterfinals, advancing to the league tourney's round of four for the second straight postseason.

Off the strength of 11 hits from six different batters and another gem in the circle from the SAC Pitcher of the Year Emma Frost translating to nine K's, the Lady Railsplitters (35-5, 20-4 SAC) led from start to finish in their first postseason bout in two years, scoring the final three runs of the contest to leap one step further in their quest for the program's first ever conference tournament crown.

A rematch with in-state rival Carson-Newman awaits on Saturday afternoon in Greeneville following LMU's four-run triumph over the Cavs, where the league championship battle is then scheduled to occur later that same day should impending rain hold off. Lincoln Memorial has never appeared in the SAC Championship game since joining the league, although a victory over the fifth-seeded Eagles would at last put an end to that trend.

Each of the first 11 batters for UVA Wise failed to get by Frost for a hit as the Lady Railsplitters pounced on the Cavs early in the form of a 3-0 advantage at the close of the second frame. While Madison Henry and Sierra Hucklebee stood on 2^nd and 3^rd base in the bottom of the opening period, cleanup hitter Emma Webb lined up a two-RBI single right past Wise starting pitcher Raychel Lapallo to firmly put the blue and gray in front, were it would stay there for the rest of the day.

Webb and Henry proved to be two of the most efficient batters for Head Coach Ritchie Richardson's squad on Friday, combining to go 5-8 behind the plate, while the tandem of Ty-Kella Goins and Bella Buccellato went 4-7 between them as the first and last batters in the lineup, respectively. In addition to snagging a pair of RBI in the game-deciding hit, Buccellato recorded two stolen bases in the win, keeping her perfect track record in that category intact at 9-for-9.

Goins, the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, blasted a double to left center in the bottom of the 2^nd, bringing Buccellato home to push the lead to a trifecta. Of the Lady Railsplitters' 11 hits in the Quarterfinal round, the second baseman's 2B in her second at-bat served as the only one to land an extra base in the victory.

UVA Wise finally managed to get off the ground in the top of the 4^th inning once Kaylee Jones and Katie Russell powered in back-to-back doubles to bring the Cavs within a deuce. LMU was unable to answer in their next turn at-bat despite a bases-loaded scenario, opening the door for the Cavaliers to reach their second score of the tournament in the 5^th stanza.

The fourth and final double of the afternoon for the underdogs suddenly whittled the lead to 3-2, courtesy of a Casey Chambers swing that brought home Sarah Barrett. LMU's composure never wavered against a familiar foe with their backs against the wall, however, producing their most effective inning of the game in the bottom of that same inning.

With outfielder Grace Cochran and pinch runner Victoria Mounce each occupying a base due to a pair of walks, Buccellato put the game out of reach for the Cavs with a two-RBI single right down the middle of the field, before Goins wrangled in her second RBI of the day (again scoring Buccellato) as the next batter to secure the W.

Now trailing by four, the Cavalier offense stalled significantly down the stretch once the Lady Railsplitter infield regained their composure, limiting Wise to just a single hit over their final nine batters to move on to the SAC Tournament Semifinal spot.

The Cavs' mini-burst in the 5^th turned out to be the only blemish on Frost's nine-strikeout performance, improving to a sensational personal record of 17-2, expanding upon the highest number of personal victories among all pitchers in the conference. Throwing all seven innings in defeat, Lapallo took the loss in the final outing of 2021 for UVA Wise, falling to an even 8-8 in the process.

As Goins, Webb, and Buccellato combined for all six of the Lady Railsplitters' runs batted in on Friday, the blue and gray captured its ninth win in a row over the Cavaliers in a streak that dates back three years, with the postseason bout serving as the first-ever meeting between the two schools on a neutral field in 24 matchups.
 
Up Next
 
One win away from reaching their first ever SAC Tournament Championship tussle, LMU prepares for its third scrap of the spring against arch-rival Carson-Newman on Saturday in the Semi's, aiming for a similar result to that of their sweep over the Eagles back on March 23^rd.

Shutting out C-N by a combined 9-0 margin in what was near the tail end of a 39-inning streak without a single run given up, the Lady Railsplitters will search for their seventh consecutive W over the Eagles in the all-time series in the most important bout of the year to this point. First pitch on Saturday is marked for 12:00 noon in the event a high chance of precipitation dissipates.

Winners of their last four outings as the #5 seed, Carson-Newman disposed of Wingate in the first Quarterfinal round game of the tournament before LMU vanquished Wise, downing the Bulldogs 7-3 with aid from a three-run 7^th inning that created a larger gap in the final margin.

Should the high forecast of rain interfere with the weekend's Semifinal schedule, a postponement will become an option to try again, whether that be at a later start-time on Saturday or holding off altogether until Sunday. At the time of writing, both the Semi's and Championship games are slated to take place on the same day, although Mother Nature's looming over the next 24 hours could impact the day and/or time either one of those bouts eventually see their first pitch.
 
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.