ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Lindenwood Softball team (23-21, 12-9 OVC) fell on Wednesday night by a score of 7-6 at Saint Louis.
Madisen Noll led the Lions offensively going 3-3 and driving in a team-high three runs, but the Billikens put up six runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the season finale.
After a scoreless two innings on both sides, Noll got the Lions on the board first in the top of the third inning with a solo home run to left field that hit off the foul pole to give Lindenwood a 1-0 lead, but SLU responded immediately in the home half of the third inning on a sacrifice fly to even the score at one. That was all the Billikens would get however as
Ava Risum was able to limit the damage by getting a lineout after the sacrifice fly to keep the score knotted at one heading to the top of the fourth.
After neither team scored in the fourth, Noll delivered her second hit and RBI of the contest in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI infield single that scored
Sadie Sexauer to put the Lions back in front by a score of 2-1.
Jalese Hays protected that lead in the bottom of the fifth by recording a one-two-three inning behind two groundouts and strikeout, but the Lions could not add onto their lead in the top of the sixth as the Lions would go down in order to send the game to the bottom of the sixth. SLU put up six runs in the home half of the sixth inning to take a 7-2 lead behind three hits and three defensive errors committed by the Lions to grab a 7-2 lead, but the offense for Lindenwood woke up in the top of the seventh.
Dallis Darnell got the rally started with a one out single to centerfield and came around to score two at bats later behind Noll's third hit and RBI of the game to cut the deficit down to 7-3.
Anna Sanders would then drive in Noll on an RBI triple to right field to cut the Billiken lead down to 7-4, and Sanders scored on a
Tori Hatton RBI double to make it a 7-5 game just like that.
Kylee Crowder and
Danielle Franz kept the two-out rally going as Franz recorded an RBI single to right center to make it a 7-6 game, but the rally would end there as SLU would record the third and final out of the inning to hold on for the 7-6 victory.
Lindenwood will return to action this weekend as they will travel to Macomb, Ill for a three game series at Western Illinois. The Lions will play two games on Saturday, April 25 with a single game scheduled for Sunday, April 26.
