Maryville, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern softball team dropped their opening games today at the second MIAA Crossover, falling 4-3 to Northwest Missouri and 11-3 to Washburn. 

Southern (15-31-1) scored first in game one when Breanna Volkmann singled to start the third inning. She stole second and then scored on an RBI single from Dawn Grass. 

Northwest (18-16) scored four runs in the sixth with the big blast coming on a home run from Erin Leslie. 

The Lions scored two more in the seventh on RBI singles from Megan Roark and Jessica Brooks, but left the bases loaded to end the game. 

Whitney Clute started for the Lions and went five innings and Tiffany Bennett threw the final inning, allowing one unearned run. Grass went 3-4 with an RBI, while five others had two hits each. 

Southern scored two runs in the first of game two against Washburn (21-15) on RBIs from Angie Turner and Grass. The Lady Blues, however, answered back with seven unanswered runs over the next three innings, before an RBI ground out from Lauren Hasty gave the Lions another run. 

Washburn scored three in the fourth and one in the fifth to end the game. 

Six different Lions had a hit in the game, while Turner, Grass and Hasty drove in a run each. Bennett started and went two innings, while both Kayce Moore and Kelli Bax pitched in relief. 

The Lions will be back in action tomorrow with games against Truman, Fort Hays and Nebraska-Omaha.