JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Josie Stewart had the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning as the Lincoln softball team beat Drury, 5-4, in the second game of a GLVC double-header on Sunday (March 15). The Panthers had previously won the first contest, 10-2.

Lincoln (10-7, 2-2 GLVC) trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning of the second game and Stewart led the frame off with a walk. Reese Smith doubled into left field, and Brooklyn Smith, who came in as a pinch runner, scored on a base hit by Abi Jorgensen. Later in the inning, Josie Bezzole scored on a sacrifice fly from Paige Rees to knot the score at 3-3.

Drury (9-12, 2-2 GLVC) loaded the bases in the top of the eighth and pushed a run across the plate on a walk. Ann-Marie Simpson, who went 3-for-4 at the plate in game two, led the bottom half of the eighth off with a double and then stole third base. Faith Jaegers laid down a bunt that plated Simpson and sent Gracie Wright to third. That brought up Stewart, who hit the ball towards the second baseman, giving Wright enough time to score the winning run.

The Blue Tigers opened the scoring in the first inning when Simpson reached the plate on a fielder's choice. Lincoln held onto its 1-0 advantage until the top of the fourth, when the Panthers tied the game on a ground out. Midway through the fifth inning, the contest was halted for a 55-minute lightning delay; when that ended, Drury came out strong, scoring on a wild pitch in the sixth inning and on a double in the seventh. The Panthers finished with an 8-7 edge in hitting, but committed two errors.

Jaegers, Jorgensen, Reese Smith and TK Lawson each had hits for LU. Abby Pulliam pitched the first 5.1 innings of the game and struck out two batters. Maddie Sechrest, who got the win in the circle, also notched a pair of strikeouts. Stewart finished with a team-high six putouts, Jaegers contributed four and Jorgensen, Simpson and Hannah Heisler each recorded three. Sechrest and Wright both had two assists.

The Panthers opened the scoring in Sunday's first game on a ground out RBI in the top of the first, but most of the damage came in the third. In that inning, Drury scored twice on fielder's choices and once again on a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead. DU would later build a 7-0 lead before the Blue Tigers broke through in the top of the sixth, and inning that began with a single by Ella Percival.

Heisler hit a double during the ensuing at-bat to give LU two runners in scoring position. Wright later drove in Percival on a ground out for Lincoln's first run of the day. Heisler scored during the next at-bat when Jaegers hit an infield single. 

Six different Blue Tigers recorded a hit in the opener: Heisler, Percival, Jaegers, Stewart, Wright and Bezzole. Mallorey Rogers rang up a strikeout as LU's middle reliever, and Wright tallied a team-high seven assists. Stewart finished with eight putouts while Percival was responsible for five.

Next Sunday (March 22), the Blue Tigers will travel to St. Louis, Mo. to play Missouri-St. Louis in a 12:00 p.m. CDT double-header.