JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State softball team moved its winning streak to seven in a row following today's doubleheader sweep of the Lincoln Blue Tigers.
 
Northwest captured game one, 9-2, and followed it up with a 10-0, five-inning victory in the nightcap. The Bearcats have scored 14 straight wins over Lincoln and hold a 43-2 lead in the all-time series against the Blue Tigers.
 
Northwest is 27-23 overall and 14-10 in MIAA play. Lincoln is 13-33 overall and 4-20 in MIAA action.
 
The Bearcats also clinched a spot in the 2024 MIAA Tournament. The top 10 teams in the league will qualify for the 2024 MIAA Softball Tournament set for May 1-5 at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in Edmond, Okla.
 
Northwest will conclude the regular season Saturday with a doubleheader at Central Missouri. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. (weather permitting) in Warrensburg, Mo.
 
 
GAME ONE
Northwest out-hit Lincoln, 10-7, in the opener and scored a 9-2 win. Bearcat starter Jadyn Streigle went the distance for her 10th complete game and improved to 10-9.
 
Northwest broke up a scoreless tie in the top of the second. Abby Nolte led off with a single to left field. She moved up to second on a groundout by Omara Love. Nolte advanced to third on a passed ball. Sophie Mayhugh drove in Nolte with a one-out double to right field to give Northwest a 1-0 lead.
 
Northwest opened it up in the third inning with a five-run rally against Lincoln starting pitcher Abby Pulliam. The Bearcats extended the lead to 4-0 on a one-out, bases-clearing double by Lauren Gray in the top of the third. Annie Gahan led off the third by reaching on a throwing error by Lincoln shortstop Gabby Newman. Filger laid down a bunt single to put runners on first and second. Gaige Pinkerton dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Gahan and Filger into scoring position. Skylar Pieper drew her second walk of the game to load the bases, before Gray knocked them all in with a double to center.
 
After Nolte flied out to right, Love singled to right to put runners on the corners with two outs. Mayhugh delivered a two-out, two-run double, her second run-scoring hit of the game, to center field to give Northwest a 6-0 advantage. Mayhugh's hit sent Pulliam out of the game as Lincoln turned to Mallorey Rogers to extinguish the Bearcat rally.
 
Lincoln strung together three straight hits to start in the bottom half of the third to scratch a run across for the Blue Tigers and cut the Northwest lead to 6-1.
 
Northwest took advantage of a Blue Tiger error in the top of the fourth. Gahan reached on a miscue by Abbi Conrad at second base. Gahan stole second base, her third swipe of the season, to get into scoring position. Filger came through with an RBI-single to center to plate Gahan and give Northwest a 7-1 lead.
 
Streigle allowed a run in the bottom of the fourth as the Blue Tigers tallied two hits and took advantage of a hit batter to lead off the inning. Northwest held a 7-2 advantage through four innings.
 
Northwest ripped back-to-back doubles to begin the fifth inning as Nolte and Love each landed on second base. Grace Lubben pinch ran for Nolte after her double and scored on Love's two-base hit to put Northwest on top, 8-2. Gahan laced an RBI double to left and moved up to third on an error as Love crossed the plate for a 9-2 lead.
 
Filger tallied her 23rd multi-hit game of the season in the opener with the Blue Tigers. Filger upped her hit total on the season to 73, which ties for third all-time in a Bearcat single season with Erin Leslie (2010). Kendra Smith owns the single-season hits record with 83 in 2000.
 
It was the seventh multi-hit game of the year for Mayhugh. Nolte secured her 12th multi-game contest of the season. Love notched her sixth multi-hit game this year. Mayhugh and Gray tied for the team lead in game one with three RBI. Love and Gahan each crossed the plate twice.
 
Streigle tallied four strikeouts for only the fourth time this season in the pitching circle. Streigle surrendered seven hits, but did not walk a batter.
 
GAME TWO
The Bearcats broke out the brooms to complete the sweep with a 10-0, five-inning triumph over the Blue Tigers.
 
Senior pitcher Breck Dickey tossed a two-hit shutout and did not walk a batter for her 36th career win. Dickey pitched her 28th career complete game and sixth career shutout in her 85th career collegiate start in the circle. Dickey improved to 7-5 on the year. Dickey added four strikeouts to give her 426 as a Bearcat hurler.
 
Northwest gained the upper-hand in the second inning with two runs on four hits, but left the bases loaded. Omara Love singled with one out and moved up to second on a single to center from Sophie Mayhugh. Lela Bryant ripped an RBI-single to left to score Love and give Northwest a 1-0 lead. Annie Gahan drew a walk to load the bases. Lillie Filger delivered an RBI-single to center to score Mayhugh for a 2-0 advantage.
 
Lauren Gray led off the third with a double to center. Abby Nolte hit her eighth home run of the season and 37th of her career with a two-run shot to left. Nolte's blast staked the Bearcats to a 4-0 lead in the third. Nolte is tied with Ashley Pride for third place on Northwest's all-time home run chart. Pride hit 37 homers as a Bearcat from 2003-2006.
 
Northwest's first eight batters reached safely in the fifth to blow the game wide open. Love notched her third hit of the game with a single up the middle to lead off the inning. Mayhugh launched a double to left-center before Bryant walked to load the bases. Gahan delivered a bases-clearing double to left-center to give Northwest a 7-0 lead. Filger followed with her third hit of the game to move Gahan to third and force a Lincoln pitching change.
 
Gaige Pinkerton greeted Lincoln reliever Kasey Kilburn with an RBI-single down the right field line to plate Gahan. Skylar Pieper singled down the left field line to drive in Filger as Northwest opened up a 9-0 lead with no outs in the fifth. Nolte lifted a sac fly to center to knock in pinch runner Grace Lubben as the Bearcats upped the margin to 10-0.
 
Filger posted her 24th career multi-hit game in the second game of the doubleheader. Filger has 10 games with three or more this season.
 
Love extended her hitting streak to eight straight games. Love also tallied her first three-hit game of the season and fourth of her career.