HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 14-ranked Lincoln Memorial University softball program (15-5, 0-0 SAC) improved to 10-2 on the season at home Tuesday afternoon in a sweep over the bobcats of Lees-McRae.
 
Two complete-game victories from Emma Frost and Hayley Tamaro ensured head coach Ritchie Richardson's place as the second-winningest manager in LMU softball history. Richardson won his 130th and 131st games, surpassing the mark of 129 wins set by Elaine Minton in NAIA from 1981-1987. Dan Burns remains the winningest manager in program-history, where he set the record of 533 victories in his time at the helm of the softball program from 1995-2012.
 
Game 1 – No. 14 Lincoln Memorial def. Lees-McRae 7-1.
 
Fresh off consecutive-victories to close out the Bearcat / Fleet Invitational, junior Emma Frost pitched yet another complete-game victory inside the friendly confines of Dorothy Neely, just one win shy now of the 10-win mark at 9-2. Frost carried a perfect game into the top of the sixth before two Bobcats recorded hits and pushed one across safely. Frost recorded a season-high in K's with 13 in the six-run victory over Lees-McRae.
 
The Lady Railsplitter bats produced efficient softball through the first few frames of action, scoring a run in the second, third and fourth, where senior Sierra Hucklebee was responsible for two of the three RBI.
 
Kelsey Hoskins kept her run of form going, blowing the contest wide open in the bottom of the fifth, roping a two-run triple to left field. The Lady Railsplitters never looked back, and catcher McKenzie Henry got in on the fun, smoking her fourth long ball of the year over the left-center field fence in the sixth for a two-run shot.
 
Game 2 – No. 14 Lincoln Memorial def. Lees-McRae 11-3.
 
The latter-half of the doubleheader saw the Bobcats jump out to a 2-0 lead immediately out of the gates in the top of the first, but was instantly erased by the resilient Lady Railsplitters, as an Emma Webb single and yet another McKenzie Henry RBI had LMU on level-terms following the opening inning.
 
Third baseman Kelsie Tuggle gave the Blue & Grey breathing room just two innings later, tallying the 14th-ranked team in the nation's second triple of the afternoon down the right field line, clearing the bases for the 5-2 advantage.
 
Both the Bobcats and the Lady Railsplitters safely pushed across runners in the ensuing innings; however, the game reached the run-rule limit in the sixth in-favor of LMU off a routine ground ball hit to third base by Kelsie Tuggle, where the Bobcat infielder delivered a wild throw to first, as Victoria Conley and Emma Webb surged home for the clinching runs of the series.
 
Hayley Tamaro achieved the second complete-game victory for LMU Tuesday afternoon, moving on to 2-0 on the season. Despite getting in early trouble, Tamaro pitched another five innings following the first, allowing only one farther run. The senior New Jersey native struck-out four Bobcat batters while only walking one.
 
UP NEXT…
The No. 14 Lady Railsplitters will play their final non-conference series Wednesday afternoon inside the Dorothy Neely Complex in a doubleheader against the Wasps of Emory & Henry.
 
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.