ALBERTVILLE, Ala. – The No. 13-ranked Lincoln Memorial University softball program (5-1, 0-0 SAC) opened the 2022 Charger Chillout Invitational with two-consecutive victories, a dominant blowout over Tuskegee University and a thrilling one-run victory over West Alabama.
 
Game No. 1 of Saturday afternoon saw the Lady Railsplitters' high-output of total runs this season, seeing 12 for the Blue & Grey cross the plate. A much different story in the second matchup of the day, as LMU grinded out a 3-2 victory over West Alabama, as junior ace Emma Frost moved to 3-0 on the year, recording her third-successive complete game in the circle.
 
Game 1 – No. 13 Lincoln Memorial def. Tuskegee University 12-1.
 
Saturday afternoon's opening contest of this year's Charger Chillout saw the first five inning-run rule of the year come into effect, thanks to an explosive top-half of the third for LMU, who pushed across eight runs to blow the game wide open.
 
The Blue & Grey scored a total of 12 on the afternoon, as third baseman Kelsie Tuggle and first baseman Emma Webb carried the load on the offensive end for the Lady Railsplitters. Tuggle tallied three RBI in just the first three innings of play, with a single, double and run scored. Webb knocked in four RBI in the first game of the day, off two hits and scored two runs.
 
Graduate transfer Delilah Malczewski (2-0) recorded her second win in her second appearance in the Blue & Grey, as the veteran lefty pitched four of the five innings on the afternoon, only allowing one run off five hits. Malczewski strikeout three from Tuskegee and only walked one batter on the afternoon. Victoria Conley came in for the bottom half of the fifth, and put Tuskegee to bed, striking out one and retiring three-straight.  
 
Game 2 – No. 13 Lincoln Memorial def. West Alabama 3-2.
 
LMU ace Emma Frost (3-0) faced a rarity in the first inning of the second matchup of Saturday afternoon in Alabama, as West Alabama scored two runs in the opening inning. Frost, unbothered, responded to toss six-straight shutout innings, striking out eight and only walking three en route to her third-successive complete game victory.
 
The Lincoln Memorial offense came rallied back for the fifth victory of the young season Saturday evening despite the Blue & Grey's slow start, scoring all three in the top-half of the second. Emma Webb reached base yet again in the top of the second following her dominant game one performance, and soon was batted home off a triple from catcher McKenzie Henry. Kelsie Tuggle then notched her fourth RBI of the day, doubling down the left field line to bring home her catcher safely to tie the game up. Freshman Shelby Blake made good on her first Lady Railsplitter start against West Alabama, squeezing home Tuggle off a bunt for the go-ahead-winning RBI.
 
The matchup's final five innings were played out scoreless, as Frost posted yet another complete game by retiring UWA one-two-three in the bottom of the seventh to improve LMU's record to 5-1.
 
UP NEXT…
The No. 13 Lady Railsplitters return to action in the Charger Chillout Sunday morning, facing off against Kentucky Wesleyan at 11 a.m. EST / 10 a.m. CST.
 
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms —@LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram — for complete coverage of Lady Railsplitter softball through the 2022 season.