ANDOVER, Kan. - Mykenzie Livesay, Rachael Balke and Gabi McGinty each had three hits as the Lincoln softball team picked up its first MIAA win of the season with a 10-7 victory over Emporia State on Friday (March 8). The two teams played a neutral site double-header at Andover Central High School, and the Lady Hornets took the second game, 9-1.

In the first two at-bats of the opener, Bekah Kirker and Jordan Lawson hit homeruns to give LU the early lead. Emporia State (5-14, 1-3 MIAA) answered in the bottom of the first with four runs on six hits, but that ended being the majority of ESU's offense as LU pitcher Shannon Greene earned her first victory of the year.

Lincoln (2-14, 1-3 MIAA) responded in a big way in the second inning, starting with Paige Parker loading the bases on a bunt single. Parker finished with two hits in the win.

An error brought in the first run, and Lawson notched her second RBI of the day with a single through the middle to drive in Casey Grover. Camryn Pryor was then issued a walk with the bases loaded, giving LU back the lead.

Emporia State made a pitching change, but Balke extended Lincoln's lead with a two-RBI base hit in the very next at-bat. Tori Nienhueser later made it an 9-4 advantage for the Blue Tigers with a base hit that drove in Pryor and Balke, and an RBI single from Livesay gave LU a six-run cushion.

The Lady Hornets managed to slip a run through in the third, and brought in two more in the fifth to cut the Lincoln lead down to three, but LU held tough defensively, ultimately stranding eight ESU runners on base. Grover had 15 putouts to lead Lincoln's fielders, and Nienhueser turned seven assists while Kirker provided five.

In the second game of the day, Emporia State scored a pair of unearned runs in the opening frame, but Lincoln cut the deficit to one on a solo homerun by McGinty. The Lady Hornets kept the Blue Tigers off the board afterwards, however, and brought in four scores in the third inning and three more in the fourth to split the double-header.

Hannah Hennessy had a strikeout in the circle allowed no earned runs, and Grover posted four putouts while Livesay and Balke each had two. Kirker led LU with two assists.

Lincoln is next scheduled to play a twinbill on Wednesday (March 13) in Columbia, Mo. against Stephens with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m. CST.