The Southern softball team split a doubleheader at Drury University on Sunday, falling 5-3 in game one before coming back and winning game two with a score of 6-3.

This was the second day of games against Drury after a doubleheader on Saturday where the Lions fought at home. Saturday’s contest was the same outcome, with the Lions splitting by winning the first game 4-0, but falling in the second 2-0.

Pitcher Sarah Williams got the win the first game Saturday. Haley Kinninson pitched the second game and got the loss.

As for Sunday in Springfield, the team lost the first game after trying to rally back in the fifth inning by scoring two runs but followed up with zero runs the rest of the game. Kinnison pitched the first game as well bringing her personal record to 2-3 for the season so far.

Kinnison said, “This past weekend we did better all around but we definitely have more things to work on. Specifically, we need to work on hitting consistently through every game we play.”

The team has started this new season with the same head coach, Bill Gray, but it does have a new assistant coach, Nicole Hudson, who is native to the Joplin area who went to school in Webb City.

Hudson was a four-year starter for the Missouri Tigers after high school and also won a silver medal after playing for the United States National Softball Team at the World Cup of Softball last summer.

Infielder Brooke Swadley said, “I think our team has a lot of talent this year and we have a great season ahead of us. Coach Hudson is a great addition to give us an extra edge against other opponents that we will be playing.”

The softball program announced the cancellation, due to expected bad weather, of this year’s Teri Mathis-Zenner Memorial Tournament that had been scheduled for this weekend.

The Lions will next be in action on Tuesday, March 4, when they travel to Muskogee, Okla., to face Southeastern Oklahoma State in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.