The Lindenwood softball team ended its first season under head coach Liz Kelly with a losing sweep at Central Missouri on Monday afternoon in Warrensburg, Mo. The Lady Lions concluded the 2017 campaign with a 21-26 record.
 
Stormee Galka suffered the loss in the nightcap, ending the year with a 13-12 record. The freshman is the program's single-season leader with 13 victories in the NCAA era. Also jumping ahead in the record books is fellow freshman, Austine Pauley. The St. Charles native collected two singles on the day and had 75 total bases on the season, surpassing 2016 Lindenwood graduate Allie Newcomb's mark in 2015. Courtney Opich is the all-time leader since Lindenwood joined NCAA Division II with 86 total bases in 2014.
 
Game One
 
Lindenwood scored the first couple runs in the opener. Pauley and Lexi Theis singled with one gone in the top of the second inning, Madi Huot doubled off the left-field wall to bring home the freshman. Morgan Brown then executed a squeeze bunt to score Theis for the 2-0 Lindenwood lead. The Jennies would get one run back in their half of the inning, however, plating a one-out single with a double.
 
Central Missouri's offense hit stride in the third inning, claiming three runs. Kimberly Fozzard surrendered a lead-off homer before allowing a pair of tallies from a double and groundout.
 
Down 4-2 after four innings, Fozzard held the Jennies scoreless until the sixth when the home team crossed the plate two more times. The Lady Lions loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, but Adele Linderman hit a hard grounder to the first baseman to end the game.
 
Pauley collected two hits, while Linderman, Theis, and Huot rounded out the hit column for Lindenwood. Fozzard dropped to 8-13 in the circle, finishing her freshman season.
 
Game Two
 
The Lady Lions threatened in the first and third innings in the nightcap, but failed to force across a run. Maddie Bohr doubled and Hannah Johnson was hit by a pitch with one out in the first frame, but Jennies' hurler got out of it unscathed.
 
Bohr was part of the action in the third inning as well, getting beaned after Linderman doubled with one out. However, Johnson flew out and Pauley went down swinging to end the threat.
 
UCM scored first, plating two runs in the second. Back-to-back singles to begin the frame came around to score after a dropped fly ball and single forced them home for a 2-0 lead. The Jennies added onto their lead in the third inning with a successful swipe of home as catcher Becca Stocker nabbed the baserunner attempting to steal second base.
 
The hosts struck again in the fourth inning. Galka loaded the bases with one out, forcing Kelly to call to the bullpen for Bethany Fountain. UCM exploded for four more runs in the inning, although three were unearned after another drop by the right fielder for the day. Lindenwood trailed 7-0 after four innings.
 
The scoreboard welcomed the Lady Lions in the fifth inning when Johnson scored Galka on a sacrifice fly, but the lone tally would be it for the day. UCM scored twice in its half of the fifth to win 9-1 and sweep the series.
 
Bohr, Galka, and Linderman had the three hits for Lindenwood in the game. Linderman had two knocks on the day, as well as Pauley.
 
Galka finishes the season with a .333 batting average, leading the team. Overall, Pauley led with 43 knocks, 29 runs scored, 28 RBI, five triples, and six homers. The freshman had a team-high .932 OPS.
 
The 21 victories in the season is one shy from Lindenwood's record in its NCAA era. For the second straight season, the Lady Lions finished 9-17 in MIAA play. All-MIAA selections will be announced on Thursday prior to the conference tournament in Oklahoma City.