Bentonville, Ark. – Bearcat softball ended their tournament at the Alvy Early Classic Saturday afternoon against two tough MIAA opponents. Both were tightly contested games but SBU fell to Northwest Missouri and Missouri Southern moving to 1-3 on the season.
 
Game one of day was a clash of the Bearcats where the green ones from Northwest Missouri pulled ahead with a 1-2 victory. After allowing two runs in the first inning, the SBU pitching would hold Northwest at bay. Taylor Howard started on the mound and was credited with the loss as Emma Kreisel and Cambri Van Loo relieved her in the following innings.
 
 
The purple Bearcat offense had struggle finding their footing only scoring once in the 5^th inning with an RBI by Ashley Gruben. Junior Joscelyn Bennett was the sole Bearcat to cross the plate in the game and one of three Bearcats to record a hit along with Emily Titus and Gracee Brockman.
 
SBU returned to play just a short bit later against the #24 team in the Nation of Missouri Southern falling to them 6-8. Early on the Lions took a quick 0-4 lead before the Bearcats responded in the 2^nd. Senior Shalie Wooden hit the fourth home run of the career cutting the lead in half. Lions scored one more before big back-to-back innings by SBU put them on top. RBI's from Titus, Gruben, and Lucy Sadewhite gave SBU a 6-5 lead in the top of the 5^th. The lead didn't hold long as Missouri Southern's power gave them a three-run 5^th inning for a 6-8 final.
 
Wooden had a team high three hits on the game with her two RBI's. Keeley Elsea and Gruben each contributed two hits throughout the contest. Kinleigh Kite, Brockman, Ava Minton, and Sadewhite followed up with one a piece.
 
The team will return to action next weekend in the DII classic in Branson, Missouri. They will start with Northwest Missouri again on Friday February 13^th at 1:30 p.m. then later in the day at 3:30 against Christian Brothers University.