JOPLIN, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University softball team salvaged the second game of a doubleheader to gain a split Tuesday at Missouri Southern,
 
The Lions posted a 1-0 win in game one, while the Bearcats bounced back with an 8-4 triumph in game two.
 
Northwest is 16-23 overall and 6-12 in MIAA play. Missouri Southern is 29-13 overall and 9-5 in league action. MSSU is 14-4 at home this season.
 
GAME ONE
MSSU starting pitcher Kiki Pickens and reliever Lauren Fuller kept the Bearcat bats quiet as they combined to hurt a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory for the home squad.
 
Missouri Southern broke through for a run in the bottom of the fourth. MSSU's Katie Gray led off with a double to left. She moved up third on a wild pitch from Bearcat starter Erika Gore. Gray then came across to score on a sac fly from Cady Dickey to give MSSU a 1-0 lead.
 
Pickens allowed a one-out single to Omara Love in the second and another one-out single to Lillie Filger in the third.
 
Following Filger's single in the third, Pickens retired the next 12 batters before Grace Lubben reached on a one-out walk in the seventh. Malia Cuevas hit a bloop double behind third with two outs in the seventh to move Lubben to third and put two runners in scoring position. Riahn Pinkerton was hit by a pitch to load the bases full of Bearcats.
 
Pickens was lifted for Fuller with two outs in the seventh to face Northwest's Curstin Todd. Fuller got Todd to fly out to deep left to end the game and give the Lions a 1-0 victory.
 
Bearcat starting pitcher Erika Gore held the Lions to only four hits and tossed her second complete game of the season. Gore allowed a first inning single and then three hits in the fourth to account for all the MSSU offense.
 
GAME TWO
Northwest used a five-run sixth inning to turn a one-run contest into a comfortable 8-4 victory in the second game of a doubleheader against Missouri Southern.
 
Missouri Southern struck first in the second game by scoring a run in the first off Bearcat starting pitcher Jadyn Streigle.
 
The Bearcat bats awoke in the third inning. Gaige Pinkerton led off with a single. She moved up to second when her sister, Riahn, executed a sacrifice bunt to third base. Lillie Filger came through with a two-out single to put runners on the corners. Alexis Brown delivered a a clutch two-run triple that plated Pinkerton and Filger to give Northwest a 2-1 lead. Omara Love followed with an RBI-double, her team-leading 12th double of the season, to score Brown and up the Bearcat margin to 3-1.
 
Missouri Southern cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out RBI single from Kylie Jacks.
 
The Bearcat offense countered in the top of the sixth as the first set batters reached base safely. Love led off with a single up the middle. Skylar Pieper was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Grace Lubben launched an RBI to the wall in right field to score Love and give Northwest a 4-2 advantage.  Malia Cuevas served a single past first base and down the right field line for an RBI single to bring Pieper home with no outs in the sixth. Gaige Pinkerton crushed a ball to the wall in right center to gain another run as Lubben raced around the bases for a 6-2 lead. Pinch hitter Kiara Schaub worked a walk to load the bases for Curstin Todd. Todd was hit by a pitch to force in Cuevas for the fourth run of the inning and boost the Bearcat margin to five at 7-2. Alexis Brown capped the five-run rally with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored pinch runner Avery Mayberry to give Northwest an 8-2 cushion over Missouri Southern.
 
MSSU came up with three hits and two runs in the seventh to close to within 8-4, but Streigle got the final two outs on infield groundouts to secure the Bearcat victory.
 
Streigle pitched her 31st career complete game and gained her 29th career pitching victory at Northwest. Streigle surrendered nine hits and allowed four runs with three strikeouts in her sixth complete game of the season. Streigle is 6-7 on the year and 29-26 in her Bearcat career.
 
Northwest will be at home this weekend to play host to Emporia State (Friday – 2 p.m./4 p.m.) and Washburn (Saturday, Noon/2 p.m.). Northwest will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday by honoring eight Bearcats.
 
NOTES: Omara Love recorded a hit in each game to move her hitting streak to eight in a row … Love has 17 multi-hit games this year and 40 in her Bearcat career … Lillie Filger reached base in both contests to extend her consecutive games of reaching base to 11 in a row … Grace Lubben has reached base in nine consecutive games … Gaige Pinkerton posted her ninth multi-hit game of the season in game two … the Bearcat defense ranks No. 6 in the country in defensive fielding percentage (.975) … the Bearcats have posted 53 consecutive errorless innings following today's doubleheader.