The Lindenwood softball team split with Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon from Lou Brock Sports Complex as the team celebrated its six seniors. Senior Morgan Brown hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning of game one to win the game for the Lady Lions, 7-6, before the visitors took the nightcap by the score of 4-0. 

Austine Pauley led the Lady Lions offensively, totaling three hits in game one. Pauley's 69 total bases is third all-time in Lindenwood's NCAA era, and is just five away from tying for second on the list. Stormee Galka won her 13th game of the season, growing her single-season record for Lindenwood in NCAA play. 

Game One

The freshmen began the scoring on senior day. With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Kimberly Fozzard tripled to right-center field for Galka to reach on an infield single to gain the early 1-0 lead. 

Fozzard remained in control in the pitching circle, allowing four hits in the first four innings. The offense picked up in its half of the fourth, putting five runs on the scoreboard. Pauley and Faith Koffron hit back-to-back triples, followed with a single by senior Brooke Tiehes to make the score 3-0. Hannah Johnson drove in two runs on a single, and Bethany Fountain followed it up with a single of her own to score Maria Tippit. 

The 6-0 lead would fail to hold as Missouri Southern score three runs in consecutive innings to even the game after six innings. 

Each team threatened to break the tie, but the game would head to the 10th inning, the second time this season the Lady Lions have played double-digit frames. This time it worked out for Lindenwood as Fozzard, who began the inning on second base per the international tie-breaker rules, took third on a Galka sacrifice fly and scored when Brown hit a liner to right field for a walk-off single. 

Game Two

The momentum died quickly for the nightcap for Lindenwood. The visiting Lions tallied an early run in first inning before scoring another pair in the second. 

Missouri Southern added an insurance run in the seventh inning, but it proved unnecessary as the visitors won, 4-0. 

The Lady Lions only had three hits in the game after knocking 14 in game one. Becca Stocker singled in her first at-bat, and Keri Sheehan singled in the pinch in the fifth inning. Lexi Theis singled in the seventh inning, but that would be it for Lindenwood. 

Lindenwood moves to 20-21 on the season, and is the first time the team has won 20 or more games since 2014. The split sends the Lady Lions to 8-12 in MIAA action and still sits in 11th place with six conference games remaining. Lindenwood will travel to Maryville, Mo. for a doubleheader against Northwest Missouri on Monday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.