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Season Stats

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Lady Blues split their MIAA-opening doubleheade with Nebraska-Kearney winning the first game 7-4 while falling in eight innings in the second game 11-10. Washburn will continue its homestand against conference foe Fort Hays State on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

In the opener, the Lopers scored two in their first at bat and then the Lady Blues (5-11, 1-1 MIAA) scored five in their first time at the plate.  Katie Schroeder led off the game with a single and after Alex Zordel reached on an error, Lauren Thimmesch homered to center clearing the bases. Washburn Deidra Jones reached after being hit and then was sent home after Kristen Bell's two-run homer. Washburn added another run in the fourth as Bell's single scored Jones who led off the inning with a double. The Lopers added two more in the fifth inning, but the Lady Blues added a run in the fifth after Jones was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded scoring Zordel. Thimmesch picked up the win improving to 4-5 on the season and Marina Quimby pitched three innings for her first save. Thimmesch added three RBI as did Bell in the game.

In the second game, Washburn trailed 1-0 after the Lopers first at bat, but scored two in the second inning after scoring a pair of unearned runs. The Lopers answered with two runs of their own in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead. In the third inning, Leah Garland hit a 2-run homer scoring Jones who reached on a fielder's choice. UNK came back with two runs in the fourth and added two more in the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Washburn chalked up four runs with Skyler Gentry hitting a 3-run homer run following a Thimmesch home run earlier in the frame. The see-saw battle continued as the Lopers scored three more in the sixth off five hits. In the bottom of the seventh the Lady Blues rallied for two runs to send the game into extra innings at 10-10 after an RBI single by Amanda Kirkhart while adding another unearned run off the Lopers, who had five errors in the second game. The Lopers added one run in the eighth on a home run. Washburn put a runner in scoring position after Jones doubled, but the Lady Blues could not get her home as Washburn fell 11-10. Quimby took the loss coming in the game in relief droping to 1-6 on the season.