JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln softball team collected 15 hits, including a home run by Rachael Balke, but the Blue Tigers dropped a pair of 9-1 decisions to Central Oklahoma on Sunday (March 17).

Balke's homer led off the second inning of the opener, allowing LU to cut the Broncho lead down to 3-1. Central Oklahoma, ranked No. 4 in the American Fastball Coaches Association's Division II poll, plated four runs in the third inning and one each in the sixth and seventh frames to pull away for the win.

Two of LU's nine hits in the first game came from Balke, while Emily Williams also had a pair of hits and Jordan Lawson, Camryn Pryor, Gabi McGinty, Mykenzie Livesay and Paige Parker had one apiece. Shannon Greene had a strikeout in a complete game performance in the circle, and Pryor led the Lincoln defense with 10 putouts. Livesay turned four assists and Bekah Kirker was responsible for three.

Lincoln (4-18, 1-7 MIAA) kept Central Oklahoma (24-1, 8-0 MIAA) off the board through two innings in the second game of the day, but the Bronchos broke through in the third with three runs on four hits. The Blue Tigers answered in the fourth, however, as Balke got on base via a walk, and later scored on a single by Livesay.

Livesay went 3-for-3 at the plate in the night cap, and the Blue Tigers had several good scoring opportunities throughout the contest. LU had the bases loaded in the fifth inning after a double by Lawson, a base hit from Pryor and a walk issued to McGinty. Lincoln ended up stranding nine runners on base in the game, however, including two in both the third and fourth frames.

The big difference in the second contest came in the sixth innings, as UCO plated four runs to turn a three-run game into an 8-1 advantage. Central Oklahoma added another run in the seventh inning to complete the scoring.

Hannah Hennessy pitched the entire game and rang up a strikeout, and Williams also had a hit for LU. Lawson led the defense with six putouts in centerfield, and Pryor finished with four while Livesay tallied three. Tori Nienhueser and Kirker each contributed two assists.

Lincoln will return to the road on Wednesday (March 20) to play a double-header in Liberty, Mo. against William Jewell, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CDT.