JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The game was tied entering the seventh inning, but Missouri Southern managed to score three runs in the final frame of the night cap on Friday (April 5) to beat the Lincoln softball team, 5-2. The Blue Tigers hit their 17th home run of the season in Friday's opener, but fell in that game by a final score of 10-1.

Lincoln struck first in the second game, as Bekah Kirker led the contest off with a base hit before scoring on a double by Rachael Balke. After Missouri Southern tied the game up in the second on an RBI single, Jordan Lawson led the third inning off with a double, and then gave LU a 2-1 advantage by scoring on a base hit by Mykenzie Livesay.

The Lions used an RBI double to tie the score at two in the top of the fourth, and the two teams kept each other off the board until the final inning. Starting pitcher Shannon Greene notched a huge strikeout to end the top of the sixth, stranding a pair of MSSU runners in scoring position. Balke, meanwhile, singled in the bottom of the sixth and advanced to third before the Lions forced a ground out to end the inning.

A two-run homer allowed the Lions to break the tie in the seventh, and MSSU plated one more run to take a three-score lead into the final frame. Gabi McGinty opened the bottom half of the seventh with a base hit, and Kirker reached via a walk, but MSSU kept Lincoln off the board to secure the win.

Greene had two strikeouts in the game, and Camryn Pryor led Lincoln with six putouts while Paige Parker accounted for four. Livesay and Tori Nienhueser each tallied three assists. Offensively, the Blue Tigers had eight hits, including one each by Emily Williams and Nienhueser.

In the first game of the day, Lincoln's run came in the bottom of the fifth, as Williams hit her second home run of the year. Missouri Southern (16-17, 7-9 MIAA) hit two homers of its own, however, and ended up scoring multiple runs in each of the first three frames.

Pryor also had a hit for Lincoln (4-32, 1-17 MIAA) in Friday's first game, and led the Blue Tiger defense with eight putouts. Nienhueser provided three assists, while Lawson recorded two and Kirker had one.

Lincoln remains at home on Saturday (April 6) to play Pittsburg State in a 12:00 p.m. CDT double-header. Saturday will be Senior Day, with a special ceremony planned to honor Nienhueser and Balke.