SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Blue Tiger pitchers combined to strike out 12 opposing batters, but the Lincoln softball team fell in a pair of games at the Drury Invitational on Friday (Feb. 28).

In the second game of the afternoon, Lincoln (4-2) had the lead midway through the third, but William Jewell (5-5) responded in a big way offensively to earn a 12-4 victory. The Blue Tigers played error-free softball, but allowed 11 hits while recording four themselves.

William Jewell sent a pair of runners across the plate in the first inning, and kept that 2-0 lead heading into the third. After a lead-off single, Kendra Holt was issued a walk, and herself and Jordan Lawson reached scoring position on a ground out. That brought Mykenzie Livesay to the plate, and an error by the WJC left fielder not only allowed Holt and Lawson to score, but Livesay as well.

Those runs gave LU a one-run lead, but the Cardinals regained the advantage in the bottom half of the frame with five runs on three hits. William Jewell pushed its lead to 10-3 before Alex Miller scored on a ground out by Payton Mooney for Lincoln's final run of the day.

Livesay, Mooney, Jordan Hollon and Emily Williams all had hits for Lincoln, and patience at the plate allowed both Holt and Miller to reach twice on walks. Miller struck out four Cardinal batters, as did reliever Tressa Hughes, and Mooney led Lincoln defensively with eight putouts. Shannon Greene, who allowed just one hit as the game's closer, also notched an assist.

In the early game, Lincoln dropped its first true road game of the season to Drury (8-4) in a 9-0 decision. Hughes and Miller each had hits for LU, but the Lady Panthers took advantage of eight hits and a pair of Blue Tiger errors to earn the win.

Ashton Stalling started the game in the circle and fanned two batters before giving way to Hughes, who also rang up two strikeouts. Mooney had four putouts while Holt and Hollon each had three, and Stalling, Livesay and Hollon each turned assists.

Lincoln will play two more games in the Drury Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 29), as LU faces Newman at 12:00 p.m. CST and Southwest Baptist at 2:00 p.m. CST.