MARYVILLE, Mo. — No. 10-ranked Missouri Southern softball (36-6, 11-3 MIAA) split its road MIAA doubleheader at Northwest Missouri (28-13, 8-8 MIAA) Saturday at Bearcat Softball Field.
MSSU captured the opener, 6-1, before falling to the Bearcats in the finale, 5-2.
With the doubleheader split Saturday, MSSU moves to 36-6 overall and 11-3 in MIAA play.
#10 Missouri Southern 6, Northwest Missouri 1
Missouri Southern secured a decisive 6–1 victory over Northwest Missouri in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. A standout performance included MSSU scoring four runs in the second inning, setting the tone for their triumph.
Northwest Missouri took an early lead in the first inning after Mackenzie Mlnarik's aggressive baserunning capitalized on a fielder's choice and subsequent stolen base, eventually scoring on a Missouri Southern error.
However, MSSU responded decisively in the second inning, leveraging free bases and a wild pitch to shift momentum.
Carsen Tinkler's walk set the stage, and subsequent walks to
Emily Perry and
Cady Dickey loaded the bases. A wild pitch allowed Tinkler to score, and
Maddie Rolfs followed with a clutch single to center, driving in two more runs for a 4–1 lead.
Missouri Southern maintained pressure throughout, highlighted by
Cady Dickey's RBI double in the third inning. In the seventh inning,
Katie Gray delivered the final blow with a solo home run, extending the lead to five runs. Defensively, Missouri Southern held the Bearcats scoreless after the first inning, with efficient pitching and clean fielding closing the door on any comeback attempts.
The Bearcats took an early lead in the first inning when Mlnarik scored on an error, making the score 1–0.
Missouri Southern responded decisively in the second inning. Tinkler scored on a wild pitch, and Perry crossed home on a walk by
Bailey Dillon. Rolfs contributed with a two-RBI single, bringing the score to 4–1.
In the third inning, Tinkler scored again, this time driven in by a double from Dickey. This extended Southern's lead to 5–1.
Gray capped off the scoring in the seventh inning with a solo home run, her fourth in as many games. Missouri Southern secured the victory with a final score of 6–1.
Katie Gray led with an impressive performance, recording three hits, including a home run, and adding an RBI.
Maddie Rolfs contributed significantly with a hit and driving in two runs.
Carsen Tinkler made her presence felt by scoring twice and drawing a walk.
Kiki Pickens dominated in the circle, pitching a complete game with seven strikeouts while allowing just two hits and no earned runs (one unearned run) with just 2 walks. This outing marked Pickens' 14th win of the season (14-2), supported by 114 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.
Northwest Missouri 5, #10 Missouri Southern 2
MSSU fell to NWMSU with a final score of 5-2 in the doubleheader finale Saturday. The game saw Missouri Southern record seven hits, while Northwest Missouri capitalized on a four-run fifth inning to secure the victory.
Northwest Missouri seized control in the fifth inning, beginning with a walk to Jaeleigh Darnell, followed by a bunt single from Alexis Brown. A sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, setting the table for Kaylee Cords, who delivered with a two-RBI single to center. Timber Wilson added further damage with a two-RBI double to left, extending the lead to 5-1.
MSSU initially took the lead in the second inning when
Emily Perry advanced on a wild pitch and then scored on
Cady Dickey's RBI single. Despite this early momentum, the fifth inning saw opportunities slip away, as the Lions were unable to capitalize on prior hits from
Bailey Dillon and Perry. In the seventh, Missouri Southern managed to push across one more run with the help of an error, but a double play ended the rally, leaving runners on base.
MSSU scored first in the second inning when Perry singled to left field and later scored on a single by Dickey. At the end of the second inning, the Lions led NWMSU, 1-0.
Northwest Missouri tied the game in the third inning with a solo home run by Darnell. The score was 1-1 after three innings.
In the fifth inning, Northwest Missouri took control, scoring four runs. The scoring began with a two-RBI single by Cords, followed by a two-RBI double by Wilson, pushing the Bearcats to a 5-1 lead by the end of the fifth inning.
MSSU added one more run in the seventh inning when Perry scored on an error. The final score was Northwest Missouri 5, Southern 2.
Emily Perry scored two runs and collected two hits, demonstrating her effectiveness at the plate.
Cady Dickey contributed with two hits and one RBI, adding to the team's offensive efforts.
Emily Davis pitched a complete game for Missouri Southern, throwing six innings and recording eight strikeouts. She allowed four hits, five earned runs, and issued five walks in the outing. Despite her efforts, Davis took the loss, bringing her season record to 14-4. She threw a total of 109 pitches, with 67 of them being strikes.
NEXT: Missouri Southern next returns home to Joplin to host Central Missouri and Rogers State in consecutive doubleheaders April 17 and 18, respectively. The Lions will honor the careers of seniors
Carsen Tinkler,
Emma Mason,
Taylor Nuckolls,
Emily Perry,
Katie Gray and
Cady Dickey ahead of the Rogers State doubleheader for Senior Day 2026.
