ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania softball program notched their first three wins of the 2023 season and Head Coach Zadaisha Waddell got on the board with her first victories as a collegiate head coach during a successful weekend in the CIAA / SIAC Challenge.

The Lions blew out Allen in five innings (12-0), narrowly edged both Benedict (6-5) and Albany State (4-3), dropped a heartbreaker on a walk-off to Tuskegee (2-1), and dropped a decision to Miles (7-2).

With their 3-4 record through seven games, Lincoln softball is currently off to its best start in a decade when they opened the 2013 campaign at 3-2 with a pair of wins over Virginia-Lynchburg plus a triumph over Livingstone.

What You Need to Know:

• Score (Miles): Miles 7 | Lincoln (PA) 2 

• Score (Benedict): Lincoln (PA) 6 | Benedict 5

• Score (Tuskegee): Tuskegee 2 | Lincoln (PA) 1

• Score (Allen – 5 Innings): Lincoln (PA) 12 | Allen 0

• Score (Albany State): Lincoln (PA) 4 | Albany State 3

• Record: Lincoln-PA (3-4, 0-0 CIAA)

• Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina – Orangeburg Rec Center

Lincoln (PA) Top Performers:

• The pitching trio of Chloe Foster (Dresher, Pa./Upper Dublin), Tia Brown (Newark, N.Y./Newark), and Kailee Richmond (Womelsdorf, Pa./Conrad Weiser) all got the dubs in the circle for LU with Tia Brown (Newark, N.Y./Newark) also shutting the door in the final frame vs. Albany State for her first career save.

• Brown picked up the save against the Golden Rams with a spotless seventh plus a strikeout and got the win over Benedict with a complete game masterpiece in which she struck out a career-high ten batters.

o The Sophomore from Newark, New York might have been even more impressive at the dish, going 8-for-13 (.615) with three RBIs, three runs scored, a stolen base, a hit-by-pitch, and a steal.

• Foster set the table for Brown's save, tossing six strong innings while giving up just three runs and four hits while primarily pitching to contact (one strikeout).

• Richmond received by far the most run support as the offense exploded for a dozen runs versus Allen, but she made sure to shutout the Yellow Jackets anyway, pitching a complete game, five-inning shutout with seven whiffs to go along with two hits and only one walk allowed.

• Irlynn Richardson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) remains on a tear to open the year, batting .462 (6-of-13) while scoring four times, swiping four bases, driving in a pair of runs, walking twice, smoking a double, and taking a hit-by-pitch over the five-game weekend.

• MacKienzee Rasheed (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) and Aliya Rose (Lutherville, Md./Maryvale Preperatory) combined to hit 9-of-24 (.375), score six runs, nab four steals, coax a pair of bases on balls plus a RBI.

• Amaya Townsend (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis) could not be contained on the basepaths, leading all Lions ladies by averaging a stolen base per game with five in total.

Notes:

• The Orange and Blue have recorded half as many wins at the Challenge alone (3) as they did during the entire 2022 season over 37 contests (6).

Next:

• LU of PA will head down to Atlanta for a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader opposite Clark Atlanta at 2 and 4 p.m. as they attempt to push their way above .500.

#DefyingTheOdds | #OneLU