MARION, Ill. - The Lincoln softball team went 2-2 in its four games at the Oasis Sports D2 Tournament on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 28-March 1). Below are recaps of those contests.

Purdue Northwest 4, Lincoln 3
The Blue Tigers had the early lead, but a mid-game rally helped Purdue Northwest to beat the Blue Tigers, 4-3, on Saturday.

Lincoln took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Hannah Heisler scored on a passed ball and Ann-Marie Simpson came home on a double hit by Gracie Wright. An error allowed Purdue Northwest to cut the lead down to 2-1, but the Blue Tigers got back on the board in the second inning, as Josie Bezzloe reached the plate on a sacrifice bunt from Heisler. The lead held into the third inning, when the Pride brought in two more runs to even the score. A solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth proved to be the game-winning run.

Wright finished with two hits while Heisler and Josie Stewart each had one. Mallorey Rogers notched a strikeout in the circle. Stewart led the Blue Tigers with five putouts and Heisler and Wright each turned two assists.

Lincoln 5, Parkside 3
The Blue Tigers also began their second game on Saturday strong, as a four-run first inning led to a 5-3 victory for Lincoln over Parkside. 

A pair of errors helped Simpson to score the game's first run in the top of the opening frame. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Stewart singled into right field to bring home both Marlee Brown and Wright. Stewart later sacrificed herself in a rundown to allow Paige Rees to score, ending the inning with LU on top, 4-0.

After stranding four Parkside base runners of the next few innings, Lincoln got back on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth when Reese Smith drove in Simpson on an infield single. The Rangers didn't score until the bottom of the sixth, as Parkside brought in two runs on a double and a third on a triple. 

Wright and Brown each finished with two hits and Abby Pulliam, who struck out three batters, got the win in the circle while Maddie Sechrest earned the save. Stewart and Abi Jorgensen tied for the team-lead with five putouts apiece, and Rees and Simpson were each credited with three. Reese Smith and Wright both turned assists.

Ferris State 8, Lincoln 2
Despite notching eight hits, the Blue Tigers fell to Ferris State, 8-2, on Sunday.

The Bulldogs built a 6-0 lead before Lincoln got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. The frame began with Stewart, Brooklyn Smith and Bezzole each hitting singles. It ended with a double play, but Stewart scored to put the Blue Tigers on the board. Heisler later scored on an error in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 6-2, but that was as close as Lincoln would come to completing the comeback.

Brooklyn Smith, Heisler and Simpson each tallied a pair of hits while Pulliam struck out a batter as LU's starter. Stewart led the defense with nine putouts, Faith Jaegers added three and Simpson, Bezzole, Brown and Ella Percival finished with two apiece. Pulliam, Wright and Brooklyn Smith each turned two assists.

Lincoln 7, Grand Valley State 1
Lincoln exploded for 14 hits in a 7-1 victory over Grand Valley State on Sunday.

Simpson led off the scoring by taking home on a sacrifice fly hit by Jaegers in the top of the first. In the third inning, Bezzole hit a grand slam, plating Jaegers, Stewart and Reese Smith in the process for a 5-0 LU lead. The Blue Tigers kept the shutout going into the sixth frame and increased the lead by two in the top half of the frame. Simpson reached the plate on a double hit by Jaegers, who later scored herself on a single from Stewart. The only run the Lakers scored came on a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.

Jaedin Blankenship pitched the complete game and notched a pair of strikeouts while Simpson and Rees finished tied for the team-lead with three hits apiece. Jaegers and Stewart both had two hits and Heisler ended the day with one. Stewart had six putouts and two assists, and Percival had three putouts to go with a team-high three assists.

The Blue Tigers are now 5-2 on the season and will travel to Branson, Mo. next weekend (March 6-7) for the Branson Bash.