Complete Game Notes
Games #41-42: Central Missouri (28-10, 17-5 MIAA) at Lincoln (6-33-1, 3-21 MIAA)
Date:  Saturday, May 1 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
 
THE LEAD OFF:  The Lincoln softball team closes the 2021 season on Saturday (May 1) when the Blue Tigers host Central Missouri in a 1:00 p.m. CDT double-header at LU Softball Field. These will be the first games for LU since April 21, when Lincoln faced Missouri S&T in a non-conference twinbill in Rolla, Mo. The Blue Tigers were schedule to play at William Jewell on Wednesday (April 28), but the games ended up being canceled due to rain. Lincoln last played at LU Softball Field on April 18, hosting Pittsburg State for a pair of MIAA contests. The Blue Tigers host a Central Missouri team that is 28-10 on the year and 17-5 in conference play.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Emily Williams owns a .289 batting average with 28 hits on the season, and Jordan Lawson leads the team with 33 hits while scoring 18 runs. Jordan Hollon has a team-high 20 runs on 21 hits with 17 RBI, and is tied with Alex Miller with four home runs on the season. Kendra Holt has hit nine doubles on the year and has batted in 15 runs on 23 hits while scoring on 11 occasions. Jacqueline Marquez and Leslie Callahan, meanwhile, each have 29 hits. Tressa Hughes has struck out 50 batters and has two wins in the circle, 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:  Last week, the Blue Tigers played an MIAA double-header at Washburn on Monday (April 19) and a non-conference twinbill at Missouri S&T on Wednesday (April 21). Below are brief recaps of those contests:
 
Game 37: WU 9, LU 3:  After falling behind 4-0, LU cut the deficit in half in the fifth on RBI base hits by Jordan Lawson and Alex Miller. Washburn hit a grand slam in the sixth, however, and held on for the win in Topeka, Kan. in Monday's first game. Lawson got a second RBI when she drove in Jordan Hollon in the top of the seventh while Miller and Leslie Callahan each had two hits.
 
Game 38: WU 4, LU 2:  Washburn took an early 3-0 lead, but Alex Miller hit a homerun and Jordan Lawson scored on a passed ball to make it a 3-2 game heading into the bottom of the sixth. A solo homerun ended up giving Washburn a 4-2 win in Monday's second game. Jacqueline Marquez had a pair of hits, and Maddie Welker struck out four Washburn batters.
 
Game 39: MST 10, LU 1:  Emily Williams drove in Jordan Lawson in the third to give LU a 1-0 lead, but Missouri S&T scored some late runs to win the opener on Wednesday. Lawson went 2-for-2 at the plate while Maddie Welker struck out three in the circle.
 
Game 40: MST 11, LU 10:  The Blue Tigers hit three home runs and led by two going into the bottom of the seventh, but Missouri S&T forced extra innings before winning on a base hit in the bottom of the ninth in Wednesday's second game. Kendra Holt had five RBI, Alivia Rymer went 4-for-4 at the plate, & Jordan Lawson had two hits.
 
SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Abbey Fischer leads Central Missouri with 46 hits while Ashlyn Cook is batting .396 with 42 hits, 28 runs and 27 RBI. Also with 27 RBI on the year is Bailey Fowler, who has a team-high 33 runs on 43 hits. Paige Petefish has a team-low 2.00 ERA and has struck out 81 opposing batters in 91.0 innings of work for a 12-3 record. Sadie Parks, meanwhile, is 8-2 with a 2.18 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 .289 average and has 28 hits. Williams also has seven multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI performances.
 
DOUBLE OR NOTHING:  The Blue Tigers have turned 17 double plays in 2021, tied for the most by any MIAA program. LU, which is sixth in NCAA Division II in double plays, is also second in the conference and 20th nationally in double plays per game (0.42).
 
IN THE MIAA RANKINGS:  Leslie Callahan is second in the MIAA in triples with four, the 25th-most by any Division II player. Kendra Holt is tied for 15th in the MIAA with nine doubles on the season, and Jordan Hollon is ninth in the conference in sacrifice flies with two. As a team, LU ranks eighth in the MIAA in triples (seven).
 
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.