Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OXFORD, Pa. – The Lincoln University softball team fought hard, but dropped a pair of CIAA games on Sunday afternoon to Shaw University, 7-3 and 9-3, at Old Gold Field at the Oxford Athletic Association Sports Complex.
 
In the opener, the Lady Lions (0-18 overall, 0-14 CIAA) fell behind early, but rallied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.
 
Danielle Owes (Edgewater Park, N.J./Burlington County Institute of Technology) led off the frame with a walk and with one down, advanced to second on a wild pitch. Erin Rucker (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights HS), who went 2-for-3, singled through the left side to move Owes to third. Rucker advanced a base on a wild pitch and both runners scored when Avree Morton (Uniondale, N.Y./Holy Trinity HS), who went 1-for-4, tripled to left, cutting the Lady Bears lead to 3-2.
 
Shaw (7-24, 6-6) answered with runs in the third and sixth, but again Lincoln tried to respond in the later innings.
 
With one down in the sixth, Sharay DuBose (Salisbury, Md./Parkside HS), who went 2-for-3, singled to center and scored on a Jasmine Dabney (Baltimore, Md./New Town HS) double to right center. However, Owes popped out and Mariah Coates (Reading, Pa./Reading HS) struck out to end the threat.
 
Rucker (0-17) took the loss in a complete-game effort. She gave up seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.
 
Keyunna White (2-11) the win in pitching innings of relief. She gave up a run on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
 
In the second game, Lincoln opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning.
 
Owes, who went 1-for-1, led off the frame with a walk and moved to second when Mariah Liberty (Waterbury, Vt./Harwood Union HS), who was 1-for-4, singled to right center. Both advanced a base when Rucker grounded out to the shortstop. DuBose, who went 1-for-4, doubled to center to plate Owes and gave Lincoln a 1-0 lead.
 
Lincoln had to rally in the fourth when trailing 7-1 and the bats came alive as the Lady Lions plated a pair of runs.
 
With one down, Morton, who went 1-for-3, singled to left and advanced to second when Sarah Danaher (Waitsfield, Vt./Harwood Union HS), who went 1-for-3, singled through the left side. Both came in to score when Alexis Randall (Fort Washington, Md./Gwynn Park HS), who went 2-for-3, doubled to center. However, the rally stopped there as Coates flied out to left and Dabney popped out to the pitcher to end the scoring threat.
 
Rucker took the loss in pitching seven innings. She gave up nine runs (seven earned) on six hits with nine walks and five strikeouts.
 
Kashia Hemphill worked six innings to get the win. She surrendered three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
 
The Lady Lions return to action with a 3 p.m., non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 4 against Rosemont College at Old Gold Field at the Oxford Athletic Association Sports Complex.