Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (Rolla, Mo.) – The Missouri S&T Lady Miner softball kicked off its 12-game two-week stay at home splitting with Missouri Southern on Tuesday afternoon at the S&T Softball Field. S&T won the opener 2-0 then the Lions took the nightcap 2-0.

In the opener the Lady Miners (3-6) jumped on top in the first inning as Andi Davis (Blue Springs, Mo./Archbishop O'Hara ) and Shelby Michaelis (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) reached safely to start the game. With one out Davis and Michaelis pulled off a double steal to get in scoring position. Cailey Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) drove in Davis with a sacrifice fly to right, but Michaelis was doubled off of second to end the frame.

S&T added to its lead in the second inning on Dana Lawson (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette)'s first home run of the season. She hit the first pitch she saw down the left field line just inside the foul pole.

That would be all the offense Becca Strope (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) needed as she held the Missouri Southern (5-9) offense in check to record her second shutout in the last three games. Strope went the distance allowing three hits while striking out six and walking two to even her record at 2-2.

The Lady Miners had six hits in the opener led by Davis with two. Michaelis, Kyra Slemp (Roeland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission East), Lawson and Cassie Rizzo (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) had one hit apiece.
In the nightcap the Lions jumped on top in the second inning. Shelby Romines led off with a single to right center. With one down Kathryn Goins hit a 3-2 pitch over the fence in left center for her second of the season to account for the only scoring.

MSSU's Haley Kinnison was perfect for the first four innings not allowing a runner until the fifth. In the fifth she walked Baker to start the inning and then after a groundout Savannah Fedorchak (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) worked a walk to put the tying run on base. Kinnison was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout to third.

In the sixth Kinnison retired the first two hitters she faced before Michaelis broke up the no-hitter with a single to left. Slemp then worked a walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. A wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Baker then battled through a six-pitch at-bat to force a walk and load the bases. Once again Kinnison was able to get out of with a groundout to second to end the inning.

The Lions tried to extend their lead in the seventh with their first two batters reaching, but Amber Duncan (Centralia, Mo./Centralia) worked out of the jam with no damage getting three straight outs. In the home half of the seventh S&T had its first two hitters retired before Adrienne Kruse (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) singled through the left side to bring the tying run to bat. Lori Badalamenti (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland ) walked on a 3-2 pitch to bring Davis to the plate representing the winning run. She got a pitch to her liking but got under it and flew out to right to end the game.

Duncan (1-4) was the tough luck loser in game two going the distance allowing two runs on eight hits. She struck out two and didn't walk a batter. Michaelis and Kruse accounted for the only hits for the Lady Miners.

S&T continues its homestand on Friday when it hosts Saint Joseph's College in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Those games were originally scheduled for Sunday, but have been moved to Friday instead.