The Lindenwood softball team showed no ill effects of playing bright and early Friday morning at the McKendree Tournament. The Lady Lions rallied to defeat Robert Morris College 5-3 in extra innings, and then dispatched of Millikin University 9-0.

Lindenwood used clutch hitting and stellar defense to edge Robert Morris. The Lady Lions opened the scoring in the top of the second when Caitlin Diesen smoked a double to center field that plated Jacqueline Riordan.

Robert Morris would take the lead in the fourth with a pair of runs, but the Lions answered back in the top of the fifth.

With runners on second and third, Emily Johnson lifted a fly ball to right field, and Jodi Urhahn tagged and scored to even things up at 2-2.

The game may have never gone into extra innings had it not been for the Lady Lions' defense. Robert Morris' Jessica Walsh recorded a two-out base hit in the bottom of the seventh, and stole second to move into scoring position. The next batter singled to left field, but Lindenwood's Kimberly Ruth fired a one-hop throw to home in time, and catcher Macy Bross applied the tag to send the game into the eighth.

Diesen's RBI sacrifice fly in the eighth put the Lady Lions up 3-2, but they were not done yet. Ruth reached on an error that would have ended the Lindenwood inning, and Samantha Van Pelt scored to push the lead to 4-2. Urhahn added a RBI single moments later to make it 5-2.

Robert Morris scored in the bottom of the eighth, but Rebecca Peddicord induced a game ending popout with runners aboard to secure the victory.

Peddicord went the distance, striking out five and walking four. She allowed three runs, two earned on eight hits.

Diesen finished with a pair of hits and two RBIs, and Urhahn added two more hits, drove in one, and scored once.

Lindenwood posted 12 hits and Aubrey Moss shutdown Millikin to earn a 9-0 victory in the second game of the day.

Moss was impressive, striking out 12 batters and walking just one. She scattered five hits over seven flawless innings.

Lindenwood scored twice in the third, three times in the fourth, and four times in the sixth and the seventh to give her plenty of run support.

Van Pelt drove in a pair of runs and scored twice, Diesen added another RBI on two hits, and Miranda Schlosser collected two hits, driving in one and scoring twice.

Lindenwood (20-16, 10-2), which has won eight straight, will finish up tournament play on Sunday against Westminster College and William Woods.