Emporia, Kan. – The Missouri Southern softball program split its double header against Emporia State today winning game one 7-2 before losing 7-2 in game two inside Trusler Sports Complex. 
 

The Lions (23-18, 11-7 MIAA) and Emporia State (22-24, 11-9 MIAA) kept each other off the scoreboard in the first two innings of game one before Leighton Withers unleashed her eighth home run of the season scoring Adrianna Young and taking a 2-0 lead. Emporia State was unable to get a run across in the bottom half of the third but did add two in the fourth to tie it up 2-2.
 

In the sixth inning the Lions scored two runs the first off a double steal with Sidnie Hurst taking second and Kristen Wade scoring, the second run was off a Grace Parrot single to left field to score Hurst. The exclamation point in game one happened in the seventh with Ashlynn Williams hitting her fifth home run of the season scoring Yazmin Vargas and Adrianna Young in the process to wrap up the 7-2 win.
 

Williams and Withers both finished going 2-for-4 in the game with Williams having three RBIs and Withers collecting two. Withers moved up to a tie for third in single-season home runs hit with Kasey Martin (2000) and Paula Baker (2002). Kara Amos picked up her 11th win of the season going all seven innings in the circle in the game. 
 

Game two saw the Lions jump out to a 2-0 lead this time in the first inning as back-to-back RBI singles by Ashlynn Williams and Kara Amos scored Yazmin Vargas and Leighton Withers. Emporia State was kept off the board until the third where they scored three before adding four more in the fifth to claim the 7-2 win.
 

Amos and Williams picked up an RBI each with Williams going 3-for-3 as well while Yazmin Vargas went 2-for-4 with a run scored as well. Defensively Grace Parrott finished with a game-high six assists at second base and turned a lineout double play also. 
 

Single-season ranks after this weekend: Yazmin Vargas has moved into a tie for ninth with Erin Turner's 2001 amount of runs scored with 42. Kara Amos is still tied with Erika Lutgen 2018, Kasey Martin 2001 and Diane Miller's 1990 for seventh in doubles with 15. Leighton Withers with 42 RBIs is tied with Jennifer Jimerson's 1996 tally for sixth and Ashlynn Williams with 41 RBIs is tied with Katrina Marshall's 1993 amount for seventh. 
 

Up next for the Lions is the final non-conference matchup of the season as they will host William Jewell on Tuesday April 19th inside the Pat Lipira Softball Complex with first pitch set for 3:00pm.