Joplin, Mo. – The UW-Parkside softball team had a tough day at Missouri Southern State University dropping both games to the Lions, 9-6 and 8-0. The Rangers will continue their six-game trip through Missouri with a doubleheader against Pittsburgh State University on Thursday afternoon.
 
Below are recaps of each of Wednesday's games at MSSU.
 
Game One (Box Score)
The Lions jumped out in front in the bottom of the first inning against Kristin Kleinmeyer. After retiring the first two batters, Missouri Southern got to Kleinmeyer with an infield hit and then a two-run home run for the early lead.
 
Parkside cut the lead in half in the top of the second when Lexi Sotiros knocked an RBI-single to bring home Natalie Shank from third for the first run.
 
The Lions answered with a three unearned runs in the third before Colleen Cummings run-scoring hit in the fourth cut the deficit to 5-2. She brought in Diana Gordon who had doubled to start the frame.
 
Missouri Southern added four in the fifth to make it 9-2 before the Rangers started to mount a comeback.
 
Gordon led off the inning with her third hit and moved up on a walk pitched. After Shank walked, Cecie Portillo singled to load the bases.
 
A fielder's choice retired Gordon at the plate but another wild pitch brought the first run home and moved up all the base runners.
 
Cummings then laced a single to center to score Portillo and make it 9-4. Kirsten Luevano followed that up with a ringing double to score Sotiros. Lauren Vitiello kept things rolling with a single to bring Cummings around and it was now 9-6.
 
Unfortunately for the Rangers two straight ground balls ended the inning and the deficit remained three. Haley Schneider pitched a scoreless bottom half but the offense went 1-2-3 in the seventh to end the game.
 
Parkside finished with 11 hits in the opener, the second-most of the season. Cummings and Gordon each contributed three. Cummings also knocked in two. Portillo was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Game Two (Box Score)
The second game was all Lions as they scored in each of the last five innings to post an 8-0 victory.
 
Cummings had two more hits including a single to load the bases with one out in the third. The Rangers were unable to cut into what was a 1-0 deficit at the time as a popup and line drive ended the inning.
 
Kelynn Sporer, who pitched four innings and took the loss, doubled in the fourth but was stranded at third. Vitiello also started with sixth was a two-base hit but couldn't advance.
 
Cummings finished the day 5-for-7 and is now 8-for-14 in the first four games of the Missouri trip.
 
Parkside will resume action on Thursday when they head to Pittsburgh State University. First pitch of the opener is set for 2:00 p.m.