The Lions entered another week in the 2019 Missouri Southern softball season, the Lions made an appearance last weekend in Clinton, Mississippi. They were scheduled to play a double header against Drury University and Mississippi College. The Lions faced off against Drury University where they would fall short by one run. Drury started the game off by scoring one in the first and two in the second. The Lions and the Panthers scored three runs each, but the lions answered the next inning with four runs tying the game up from the help of senior Ashley Caldarella’s double. Drury would come in the sixth scoring one run to run away with the game with the final score 7-8. Their matchup with Drury the following got cancelled due to weather conditions.  

 “Since Bentonville was canceled due to weather, we had to travel to MS in order to get games in. While it did rain most of the time there, we felt fortunate to get three games in. Our offense made some adjustments from the previous weekend and our defense continued to play well. I was very proud with how we competed because we faced some stiff competition. This team is resilient and can handle anything thrown at them,” said Head Coach Hallie Blackney on the Lions road trip last weekend.  

The next matchup was against Mississippi College. Southern would come out to score a run off of a home run from junior Erika Lutgen, but the Choctaws returned three runs in the first inning. The Choctaws came in the next inning to score two making a 5-1 lead. Southern would move to the third and fourth to score one run. The Choctaws would score a run in three straight innings. The Lions would score the last run of the game in the seventh, but fell short with the final score of 4-8. Game 2 against Mississippi College was luckily not rained out. Missouri Southern would start the game with two runs, while the Choctaws scored one starting the game off 2-1. The second inning, both teams scored one run. The third was scoreless, but coming into the fourth the Lions only scored one run. The Choctaws would gain the lead in the same inning with a total of six runs. Southern would come back in the fifth scoring three runs with the help of Makaila Leonhart’s single to bring in freshman Josie Tofpi and senior Lexi Ferrari, but wasn’t enough as they finish the game 7-8. 

 Coach Blackney on the Lions weekend, “We have to have more efficient pitching, better communication on the field, and maintain consistency at the plate. Through our four games so far this season, I’ve noticed our kids settling in and becoming more comfortable. We have been on basketball courts, turf fields, dirt and that has been an adjustment in itself. We are process-oriented with the big picture in mind, so we will continue to adjust and improve the entire season.” 

The Lions next game will be February 24 against Wayne State College in Joplin, Missouri at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.