CANYON, Texas - Western Oregon used a pair of strong pitching performances to hand the Lincoln softball team a pair of losses in the final games of the Lady Buff Invitational on Sunday (Feb. 21). Lincoln fell in the first game, 12-1, and dropped the second, 10-1, with both games lasting five innings.

The Wolves took advantage of 14 hits and three Lincoln errors in the opener, with the biggest difference in the game being an eight-run third inning. The Blue Tigers had held WOU to just single runs in the first and second frames prior to that inning, which is when all three of Lincoln's errors occurred.

Lincoln scored its run in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of Western Oregon's lone error in the process. The miscue allowed Tori Nienhueser to reach base, and a single from Lauren Stamp ended up advancing her to third. Another WOU mistake, this time a wild pitch, allowed Nienhueser to score.

Macie Ragar started the opener in the circle, pitching two complete innings before Madison Ragar took over. Ragar struck out two WOU batters. Defensively, Stamp led the Blue Tigers with five putouts while Spencer Silva and Jessica Wolken each made a pair of assists.

Four different Blue Tigers had a hit in the second game, including Nienhueser, who drove in LU's run in the bottom of the fifth. Silva opened the frame with a base hit, and a pair of walks by Hope McLeod and Megan Heimbaugh loaded the bases. Nienhueser then drove in Silva with a single through the middle.

Western Oregon (7-8) opened the contest with seven runs in the top of the first, and later plated another score in the second and two more in the fourth. Sarah Westhoff pitched the complete game for Lincoln (0-11) while Wolken and Heimbaugh had LU's other two hits.

Ragar recorded four putouts to lead LU defensively while McLeod and Heimbaugh each had three and Silva finished with two. Nienhueser posted a team-high three assists with Wolken contributing two.

The Blue Tigers will now be off until March 2, when Lincoln resumes the season in Springfield, Mo. with a double-header against Drury. First pitch for those games is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CST.