Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team (18-23, 6-8 MIAA) swept visiting Emporia State (15-20, 4-6 MIAA) 5-2 and 4-1 Saturday afternoon at Lea Kungle Field.

Game One
All of the Lions runs in the opening game came in the bottom of the first that was led off by a walk to senior Alana Hester. Hester stole second before a single to third base by sophomore Abi Corbett. A sacrifice bunt by freshman Taurean Guzman moved Hester and Corbett to third and second with one out. A single up the middle by freshman Angel Badalamenti scored Hester and an error by the ESU center fielder allowed Corbett to score for a 2-0 lead for the Lions. Following a hit by pitch to freshman Ashley Caldarella, junior Sydney Fry stroked an 0-2 pitch over the right field wall for her sixth home run of the season and a 5-0 lead. Emporia would get a run back in the top of the second on an RBI single by Morgan Swisher to make it 5-1. The Hornets would get one more run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly by Sarah Glass made the final score of 5-2.

Senior Ashley Lutz (10-10) pitched the complete game allowing the two runs, one earned, on four hits with three walks and three strike outs. Fry went 2-for-2 at the plate with the three RBIs and Badalamenti finished 1-for-3 with a RBI.

Game Two
The second game of the twin bill was a pitcher's duel until the bottom of the fifth when the Lions broke through for three runs. The inning started with back-to-back bunt singles from Hester and Corbett and a single through the left side of the Hornets defense by Guzman scored Hester. Badalamenti laid down a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third and a two out double to left center by senior Sarah Williams scored Corbett and Guzman for a 3-0 lead. Emporia State would get a run back in the top of the sixth on a RBI single to center field by Valerie Kinney which prompted a pitching change for the Lions that got Southern out of the inning on an unconventional double play, left field to third to second. Southern tacked on one more run in the home half of the sixth when freshman Kylie Wesbrooks scored from second on a single by Corbett and an error by the ESU left fielder. 

Sophomore Kali' Hodson (5-6) got the start and went 5.1 innings allowing one earned run on eight hits with a walk and five strike outs. Lutz pitched 1.2 innings with just one hit and one strike out.

On The Day
Corbett led the offensive attack on the afternoon going .833 (5-for-6) at the plate with two runs scored and a stolen base. Caldarella finished 3-for-4 (.750) with a double and a run scored and Hester stole her 96th career base in game one and now sits just three away from the MSSU career record.

Up Next
The Lions will be back in action at Lea Kungle Field on Saturday as they host the Blue Tigers of Lincoln University in a MIAA double header scheduled for 1 p.m.