JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Northwest Missouri took advantage of of timely hitting to hand the Lincoln softball team a pair of losses on Friday afternoon (April 26). LU fell in the first game, 9-2, and dropped the night cap, 10-0.

In the opener, the Bearcats scored on a double in the top of the second inning before bringing in five runs in the third for a big early lead. Emily Thompson led off the bottom of third with a double and eventually scored after Taylor Heimbaugh and Jamilyn Bagby had back-to-back singles. NWMSU got the run back in the top of the fourth, however, scoring from second base on a single.

In the bottom of the fourth, Madi Hampton stole second base and took third on Thompson's second hit of the afternoon. Thompson later stole second before moving to third on a single through the middle hit by Heimbaugh, which also allowed Hampton to score. Those ended up being LU's final runs of the day, however, as NWMSU closed the game by plating two more scores in the fifth inning.

Lincoln (13-33, 4-20 MIAA) finished the first game with seven hits, with Heimbaugh going 3-for-3 at the plate and Abbi Conrad also hitting a single. Defensively, Torri Hinnah led LU with 11 putouts while Conrad, Gabby Newman, Lindsey Brandt, Maris Ollison and Heimbaugh each finished with two apiece. Newman totaled an impressive eight assists and Ollison provided two.

Northwest Missouri (27-23, 14-10 MIAA) scored two runs in both the second and third innings before breaking the second contest open with six scores in the top of the fifth. Lincoln was held to two hits, both of which were by Kierra O'Rourke, who notched both a single and a double. Paige Rademann struck out a NWMSU batter and Vanessa Cardenas supplied five putouts while Newman and Brandt each were credited with three. Conrad provided three assists.

Lincoln will close its 2024 campaign at home on Saturday (April 27) by hosting Missouri Western in a 12:00 p.m. CDT double-header. Saturday is Senior Day, with a special ceremony planned for in between the games.