Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU softball team began conference play this weekend in battling two different GLVC opponents in Missouri St. Louis (USML) and Lincoln University (LU). The Bearcats split against both teams moving to 12-14 (2-2 GLVC) on the season.
 
Game 1 vs UMSL: Win, 6-4
The first two innings were scoreless for both teams until the Tritons broke through with two in the third. SBU bounced right back in the bottom of the 4^th as Sophomore Keeley Elsea recorded a three RBI single and Joscelyn Bennett scored Elsea for an RBI herself putting the Bearcats up 4-2. UMSL knotted the game up at four in the very next inning until Elsea hit a two-run homerun in the 6^th winning the game for the Bearcats. Abby Leer recorded her fifth win of the season already tying her total from last season.
 
Game 2 vs UMSL: Loss, 4-12
UMSL controlled the second game of the doubleheader scoring the first 12 runs of the game all in the first five innings. The Bearcats answered in the 5^th inning with a few runs including a home run from Gracee Brockman and two RBI's from Jacie Frencken. Those weren't enough as SBU fell in five innings for a series split.
 
Game 1 vs LU: Loss, 4-10
Four lead changes took place in just the first two and a half innings as SBU held the lead 4-3 before Lincoln went on a 7-0 run to clinch the game for the Blue Tigers. Bennett, Brockman, Frencken, and Taylor Howard all recorded RBI's in the for SBU. Leer took the mound to start the game and was relieved by freshman Cambri Van Loo who threw for three innings, only allowing one run.
 
Game 2 vs LU: Win, 7-3
Southwest Baptist got out to a quick lead scoring two runs in the first inning. RBI's from Howard, Brockman, and Shalie Wooden in the third put SBU up by five early into the game. Lincoln fought back in the fourth with three runs of their own. SBU added some insurance runs in the fourth and held on the rest of the way for a 7-3 victory. Wooden threw the whole game on the mound for her sixth win of the year adding along seven strikeouts.
 
After eight games in six days the Bearcats will get to take some days off before returning to conference action on the road. They will first battle McKendree University on Saturday, March 21^st at 12:00 p.m. in Lebanon, Illinois.