The Emporia State softball team fell twice to #11 Missouri Southern at the Trusler Sports Complex on Saturday.
ESU climbed out of a 6-0 hole in game one but a late squeeze play lifted the Lions to a 7-6 victory over the Lady Hornets. Southern took the lead with six runs in the third inning. E-State responded with three in the fifth and three in the sixth, but Lions got the leadoff runner aboard in the seventh, stole second, and manufactured a run on a bunt. The ESU bullpen came on in the second and Chloe Wilson and Izzy Sloan (1-2) combined to give up just one run in 4.2 combined innings but Sloan was saddled with the loss. Elina Bartlett and Kinsey Perine each went 2-for-3 and combined for five RBIs.
Southern used another big run to pull out a 4-1 win in game two over the Black & Gold. A leadoff single and wild pitch helped move the runner around in the first, but ESU scored on an Addison Callaway double in the fourth. E-State gave up three unearned runs in the sixth as Hannah Butterbaugh (9-4) took the loss going 5.2 innings allowing seven hits and four runs. Perine had the only multi-hit game in game two going 2-for-3. Head coach Megan Hill liked the fight in her team in the game one comeback but said mistakes cost her squad in game two.
ESU (19-12, 5-5 MIAA) takes a four-game losing streak on the road to begin an 8-game road trip beginning Friday at Nebraska-Kearney.
