Complete Game Notes
Games #31-32: Lincoln (6-23-1, 3-13 MIAA) at Northwest Missouri (11-13, 5-7 MIAA)
Date:  Tuesday, April 13 at 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. CT
Site: Bearcat Softball Field in Maryville, Mo.
Live Stats: https://bearcatsports.com/sidearmstats/softball/
 
Games #33-34: Pittsburg State (13-21, 7-9 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date:  Friday, April 16 at 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. CT
Site: LU Softball Field in Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/softball/
 
Games #35-36: Missouri Southern (17-12-1, 8-5-1 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date:  Saturday, April 17 at 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. CT
Site: LU Softball Field in Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/softball/
 
* - Opponent Records as of 4/12/21
 
THE LEAD OFF:  The MIAA season continues in full force for the Lincoln softball team this week, as the Blue Tigers play six games against conference competition. On Tuesday (April 13), Lincoln kicks off the week on the road with a pair of games in Maryville, Mo. at 2:00 p.m. CDT against Northwest Missouri. The next four games will be played in the friendly confines of LU Softball Field this weekend, as Lincoln returns to Jefferson City to play Pittsburg State on Friday (April 16) in a 1:00 p.m. CDT double-header. On Saturday (April 17), LU hosts Missouri Southern in a 12:00 p.m. CDT twinbill. Lincoln is coming off a road win over Emporia State and is 2-2 in its last four games.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Emily Williams owns a .338 batting average with 26 hits on the season, and Jacqueline Marquez also has 26 hits while batting .310. Jordan Hollon has 15 RBI on 15 hits with three homeruns, and has 14 runs while Jordan Lawson has also scored 14 runs and Leslie Callahan is next with 10. Kendra Holt, who has hit nine doubles, has tallied 10 RBI and 18 hits. In the circle, Tressa Hughes has struck out 41 batters and has two wins, and Maddie Welker has two victories and a save.
 
HEAD COACH CHRISTINE CORE:  Now in her third year as the coach of the Blue Tigers, Core helped Lincoln improve in nearly every offensive category in 2019, and in 2020 led LU to its highest win total since 2013. Two LU players earned All-MIAA honors under her direction. She took over the Lincoln program after a successful two-year run at Covenant, where she won 45 games.
 
LAST TIME OUT:  Lincoln played two games in Emporia, Kan. against MIAA rival Emporia State on Saturday afternoon (April 10). Below are brief recaps of those contests:
 
Game 29: ESU 8, LU 4:  Emily Williams hit a two-run double to give Lincoln the early lead, but the Lady Hornets rallied with five runs in the third and held off the Blue Tigers for a win in the first game on Saturday. Williams had two hits while Leslie Callahan also had an RBI.
 
Game 30: LU 10, ESU 5:  Alivia Rymer hit a solo homerun and finished the game with five RBI on three hits to help lead Lincoln to a win over the Lady Hornets in Saturday's second game. Leah Wagner, Emily Williams and Jacqueline Marquez each had two hits while Ashton Stalling earned the win in the circle.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Kaitlyn Weis is one of the MIAA's best hitters, as she owns a .412 average with 28 hits, including 10 homeruns, has batted in 32 runs and scored on 16 occasions. Both Hannah Blackford (.338) and Olivia Daugherty (.333) are also batting over .300. NWMSU is led in the circle by Breck Dickey, who is 4-7 with an ERA of 4.45 and 46 strikeouts.
 
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS:  Kaylee Burns leads Pittsburg State with seven wins and 56 strikeouts while the other pitchers have combined for six wins. PSU carries a team ERA of 4.67 and batting average of .264, with Keelah Griffith tallying 24 RBI on 27 hits. Kylee Bohle has a team-high 34 hits and Paxtyn Hayes has scored 20 runs on 32 hits, including 13 doubles.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Josie Tofpi has batted in 23 runs while Leighton Withers and Ashlynn Williams each have 20 RBI as Missouri Southern is batting .283 as a team. Yazmin Vargas has 33 hits and a team-high 24 runs, and Kara Amos has 16 RBI on 25 hits. Bailey Lacy is 6-1 in the circle with 44 strikeouts while Abby Atkin is 7-5 and owns a 2.54 ERA.
 
EMILY AT THE BAT:  Emily Williams enjoyed an outstanding season in 2020, leading Lincoln in hits (22) and batting average (.379). That success has continued in 2021, as Williams leads Lincoln with a .338 average and has 26 hits. Williams has 15 RBI and has hit six doubles and a triple. She also has a team-best seven multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI performances.
 
DOUBLE OR NOTHING:  The Blue Tigers have turned 12 double plays in 2021, tied for the most by any MIAA program. LU, which is seventh in NCAA Division II in double plays, is also ninth in the conference and 81st nationally in doubles with 37 hit on the season.
 
IN THE MIAA RANKINGS:  Leslie Callahan is second in the MIAA in triples with three, the 23rd-most by any Division II player. Kendra Holt has the fifth-most doubles in the MIAA with nine on the season, and Jordan Hollon is fifth in the conference in sacrifice flies with two. Jacqueline Marquez, meanwhile, is sixth in the league in triples with two.
 
TOP-25 VICTORY:  With an eight-inning, 2-1 win over Rogers State, Lincoln earned its first victory over a national top-25 team since 2016. LU held Rogers State, then ranked No. 21 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's DII poll, to just three hits. LU's last win over a top-25 team came against No. 16 Northwest Missouri.
 
ON DECK:  Lincoln continues MIAA play with a road double-header at Washburn on Tuesday (April 20) in Topeka, Kan. at 3:00 p.m. CDT.