JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A bases-clearing single by Tori Nienhueser in the fifth inning helped lead the Lincoln softball team to a 3-2 win over Northwest Missouri, the No. 16 team in the country, on Friday afternoon (March 25). The victory came in the second game of a double-header, with NWMSU taking the first contest, 5-1.

Both teams played well defensively in the second game, with Lincoln holding the Bearcats to just two hits through the first three frames. An error, followed by a sacrifice fly, finally allowed Northwest Missouri to break the shutout with a run in the fourth, and an RBI double in the fifth gave the Bearcats a 2-0 advantage.

It turned out that an NWMSU miscue was all Lincoln needed to jump start its own offense. An error allowed Kiley Kerr to reach base, and a single from Hope McLeod drove her to second. That brought up Megan Heimbaugh, who hit a double to bring home Kerr and send McLeod to third. Nienhueser than tallied LU's third-consecutive hit, a single deep enough into the outfield to bring home both McLeod and Heimbaugh for a 3-2 Lincoln lead.

The Blue Tigers retired the Bearcat side in four at-bats in the sixth inning, and Lincoln nearly got an insurance run in the bottom of that frame. The Blue Tigers loaded the bases on a walk and hits by Kerr and McLeod, but a ground out closed the frame with all three LU players still on base. It did not matter, however, as Lincoln once again limited NWMSU to just four at-bats in the final frame to clinch the win over a nationally-ranked Bearcat program.

Lincoln finished with an 8-4 advantage in hitting, with Jessica Wolken also supplying a pair of hits and Avery Myers providing one. Madison Ragar pitched the complete game and earned her second win of the season, registering five strikeouts in the process. Macie Kinsey and Nienhueser each finished with a team-high six putouts and Heimbaugh was next with five, while Nienhueser led LU with four assists.

In the opener, Northwest Missouri (22-8, 6-4 MIAA) broke open a 0-0 game with two runs in the third inning and one in the fifth, though just one of those scores was earned. The Bearcats later used a pair of RBI singles in the sixth inning to take a 5-0 advantage. Lincoln (3-30, 2-12 MIAA) avoided the shutout with a run in the seventh inning, as Spencer Silva drove in Nienhueser with a base hit.

Macie Kinsey pitched the complete game and struck out four Bearcat batters while allowing just three earned runs. Kerr, McLeod and Lauren Stamp also had hits for LU, with Stamp also leading the team with six putouts. Heimbaugh and Nienhueser each recorded four putouts, and Nienhueser contributed three assists while Silva finished with two.

The Blue Tigers will return to Duensing Field on Saturday (March 26) to host Missouri Western in an 11:00 a.m. CDT double-header.