After a split weekend against Drury on Feb. 22 and 23 and some rescheduling, the Missouri Southern softball team will host a doubleheader against Pittsburg State tomorrow at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

On Feb. 22, the Lions won the first game 4-0, but lost the second game 2-0. Then on Feb. 23, the Drury Panthers defeated the Lions 5-3, but the Lions came back to win the second game 6-3.

“Defensively we’ve been playing very well and last weekend our pitchers had very good outings,” said senior outfielder Chloe Brown. “We were just a little hit and miss on stringing hits together to score the runs we needed to come out 4-0 on the weekend.”

The Pittsburg State game will not be a conference game yet, so the Lions can use this opportunity to get a feel for the competition later in the season.

The Gorillas and the Lions met at the beginning of the season in 2013 for a doubleheader. The Lions had a strong game at bat, defeating the Gorillas 11-8 in the first game, but couldn’t do the same in the second contest as the Gorillas took the win 5-1.

Southern’s strong hitters in the game last season, Shelby Romines and Brooklyn Farrell, remain on the team this year for their senior season, bringing leadership and consistency to a team ready to make a mark in the MIAA this year.

“We’ve been taking a lot of reps hitting off the tee and in the cage so we’ll be ready for whatever pitchers they throw at us,” said Brown. “Small adjustments are what win games in this part of the season.”

This season the Lions have been led at the plate by senior infielder Dawn Grass. She has hit .469 through 10 games to go along with four doubles, one home-run and five runs batted in, but following Grass is a team struggling at the dish.

Still, as the season continues and the softball team gets back into the swing of things, the Lions will rely on what they know, and what they know are softball fundamentals.