HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 20-ranked Lincoln Memorial University softball program (25-7, 8-2 SAC) swept their third-consecutive South Atlantic Conference series, twice run-ruling the Indians of Catawba.
 
The Lady Railsplitters moved into second-place in the SAC standings Thursday afternoon, trailing just the Trojans of Anderson who sit at 7-1 in the league. The Eagles of Carson-Newman are the only other side in the conference with less than three losses, currently boasting a 6-2 record, with two less games played than LMU. The nationally ranked Eagles and Lady Railsplitters' matchup next Wednesday will be a pivotal series in determining the seeding for regular season play.
 
Game 1 – No. 20 Lincoln Memorial defeat Catawba 15-2.
 
Freshman infielder Shelby Blake got the party started early on inside Dorothy Neely Thursday afternoon, smacking an inside-the-park homer to left field. LMU never looked back, adding three in the second, three in the third and an eight-spot in the fourth to set up the run-rule victory.
 
Emma Webb's three-run shot in the bottom-half of the fourth pushed the Lady Railsplitters out to the 10-run mark, as Kelsie Tuggle's single to left brought in the 14th and final LMU run in game No. 1.
 
Shelby Blake, Kelsie Tuggle, Kelsey Hoskins and Madison Henry all produced two or more hits in the opening matchup against Catawba pitching. Madison Henry and Emma Webb both collected three RBI in game one, while Shelby Blake matched the RBI mark, while batting 3-4.
 
Thursday afternoon saw yet another complete-game win for junior Emma Frost, who moved to 14-3 overall. Frost remains the SAC leader in ERA at 1.63, as Frost moved into sole possession with most wins in the conference with 14. The Morristown native struck out two, with zero batters walked.
 
Game 2 – No. 20 Lincoln Memorial defeat Catawba 8-0.
 
Thursday afternoon's second matchup of the doubleheader was the Tuggle show on the offensive end, with the siblings combining for six RBI of the eight total LMU runs scored. A Katie Tuggle two-run single in the first, backed-by a Kelsie Tuggle three-run bomb in the fourth had LMU out to a 6-0 lead over the Indians. Katie Tuggle's ground out to score Emma Webb in the bottom-of-the-fourth scored the all-important eighth run to set up another run-rule win.
 
Bailey Griffith received her third start of the season Thursday afternoon, taking to the circle for game No. 2 against Catawba. Griffith posted her first victory of the season, striking out two, while walking zero and only allowing three hits with no runs. Kassidy Miller came on for her third appearance of the season in the top-of-the-fifth, closing out the Indians to complete the back-to-back run-rule sweep.
 
UP NEXT…
The No. 20 Lady Railsplitters hit the road for conference rival Queens, taking on the Royals in a doubleheader this Saturday, March 26. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.
 
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.