Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Tiger softball team split a conference doubleheader at Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo., on Friday (Apr. 8). The Tigers had an early 1-0 lead in game one, but fell 2-1 in nine innings, then regrouped to win game two 9-5. The Tigers are now 18-16 overall and 4-8 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Missouri Southern 2, FHSU 1

Box Score

The Tigers took the upper hand early, capitalizing on an error in the second inning. A Britney Workman single turned into two extra bases due to an error on the outfielder. Kayla Rupa drove her in with an RBI single.

FHSU starting pitcher Maddie Holub was cruising through five innings until running into a snag in the sixth. She allowed a pair of back-to-back doubles that tied the game.

The Tigers had a runner at second with one out in the seventh, but ended the inning with a strikeout and pop-up. In the first extra inning the Tigers got a leadoff single, but could not push the runner any further. A leadoff double in the ninth was erased by the Lions getting a double play on a line drive caught at third off the bat of Malinee Powell.

Missouri Southern had a runner on first with two outs in the ninth when Alysha Poteat hit a double to the left center gap that scored the winning run.

Holub took the loss in throwing 8.2 innings in the complete game effort. She allowed seven hits and two walks to go with eight strikeouts. She moved to 8-6 on the season.

Game 2: FHSU 9, Missouri Southern 5

Box Score

The Tigers scored in four consecutive innings to build a big lead and held on to get the doubleheader split. The Tigers scored one in the second, four in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the fifth.

A Sara Tani single in the second put the Tigers up 1-0, then Malinee Powell blasted her fourth home run of the week in the third inning, a two-run shot, to put FHSU up 3-0. Taylor Nelson followed later in the inning with a two-RBI double making it 5-0.

The lead grew to 6-0 in the fourth on a Britney Workman RBI single, but the Lions countered with their first run of the game in the bottom half of the inning.

The Tigers looked to be running away with the game in the fifth with three more runs to push the lead to 9-1. Adriana Wortley led off the inning with a home run, then Powell had two more RBI on a double later in the inning.

The Lions threatened to cut severely into the big Tiger lead in the bottom of the fifth. A two-RBI double by Dawn Grass cut the lead to 9-3, then the Lions loaded the bases with just one out. FHSU pitcher Kayla Rupa walked a run in to make it 9-4, but she stabbed a liner back at her by the following batter and doubled off the runner at first to end the rally. Grass would later hit a solo home run in the seventh for the Lions' final run of the game.

Rupa struggled with her control, allowing nine hits and seven walks, but still managed to strike out seven. She moved to 10-10 on the year with the win.