WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Lincoln softball team hit four homers and scored 10 total runs, but dropped a pair of games to Central Missouri on Wednesday night (April 6). UCM rallied to win the first game, 9-6, before taking the second, 10-4.

The Blue Tigers struck first in the opener, as Leslie Callahan's double in the second inning drove in Emily Williams and Jordan Hollon for the first runs of the evening. Central Missouri answered with three hits of its own in the bottom half of the frame to tie the contest heading into the third.

The game remained a 2-2 affair until the top of the fourth, when a well-placed bunt by Emma Rakes allowed Williams, who doubled earlier in the frame, to reach home plate. Hollon, who also had a hit in the fourth inning, later advanced to third, but the Jennies managed to get the third out to end the threat.

Central Missouri (11-26, 4-10 MIAA) scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to regain the lead, but Alivia Rymer hit the first homerun of the day for Lincoln in the fifth to pull LU to within 5-4. Unfortunately for the Blue Tigers, UCM was able to bring in three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to start to pull away for the win.

Lincoln (11-22, 0-14 MIAA) remained resilient, however, as Hollon hit a homer in the sixth inning that also brought in Williams to cut the Jennies' lead down to 8-6, but that was as close as the Blue Tigers would come to evening the score. Williams scored three runs and Hollon scored twice while Leah Wagner also had a hit.

Chloe Olson led the LU defense with six putouts, and Alex Miller had four while Hollon, who turned two assists, was next with three. Callahan, meanwhile, posted a team-high three assists.

In the second game of the evening, Lincoln hit back-to-back jacks in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. Wagner and Rakes each reached base on errors, and Callahan launched a pitch out of the park for a three-run homer. In the next at-bat, Rymer hit a solo shot over the centerfield wall. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Jennies rallied with a seven-run bottom of the third.

Callahan and Williams each had two hits while Rymer and Hollon each had one. Aidan Dayberry notched a pair of strikeouts in the circle and Ashton Stalling also struck out a Jenny batter. Miller and Katie Blair led the Blue Tigers with four putouts apiece.

Lincoln returns to its 2022 home field, Battle High School in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday (April 9) to host Central Oklahoma in a 12:00 p.m. CDT double-header.