Getting its first conference win was almost a season-long quest for the Lincoln softball team. Getting the second turned out to be a piece of cake.
After dropping their first 22 games in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play, the Blue Tigers took to the field Friday at home and ended the streak with a relatively easy 9-1 win against Washburn in a game shortened to six innings due to the run rule.
For good measure, the Blue Tigers made it 2-for-2 against the Ichabods by taking the nightcap 4-3.
Apparently good things do come to those who wait.
"The one thing about this team is, no matter how hard I've been on them, they haven't quit, they haven't stopped fighting," Lincoln coach Nicole Stacey said. "And you can see that in what we're doing. They want to knock somebody out. They want to take something away from somebody."
The Ichabods came into the day as one of seven teams fighting for the final five spots in the MIAA Tournament to be held next week. While they're still in the running with one doubleheader remaining today for each league school, their chances definitely took a hit thanks to Friday's results.
"Washburn is a very good team and my girls came out wanting to upset somebody, and they did," Stacey said. "I'm super proud of them. This is all I've asked of them from the beginning."
The Blue Tigers pulled off the sweep thanks in large part to the pitching of Jessica Cook, as the junior improved to 5-17 with a pair of complete-game victories.
Cook twirled a gem in the opener, giving up one unearned run while scattering four hits and striking out one. She followed that up by allowing two earned runs on seven hits in the second game, striking out three.
Cook got through the final two innings of the day on guile, as she said she was worn out after the twinbill.
"I'm tired," she said simply. "I didn't want to let the team down, they had worked really hard to keep the bats going. So I was just trying to figure out how to get the last couple outs. I didn't care if it was a popout or a groundout, I just wanted an out."
Stacey said it was an impressive performance from her hurler.
"Jessica came through and pitched two games, which hasn't happened, so I'm really proud of her for what she did," Stacey said.
Washburn's only run in the opener came in the top of the first thanks to a dropped fly ball in the outfield. But Lincoln regrouped and took the lead back for good with three runs in the bottom of the frame.
This time, it was some errors by the Ichabods that proved to be the difference, as Sam Kircher and Jessica Wolken both got on base thanks to miscues by the Washburn shortstop. Shantae Duren followed with a two-run single, and the Blue Tigers never trailed again. Kelsey Hight added an RBI single later in the frame to score Duren, and the Blue Tigers were on their way.
Lincoln made it 4-1 in the bottom of the second when Kircher blasted a solo home run over the left-field fence that was never in doubt from the moment it left her bat. It was her 10th of the season, extending the single-season record at Lincoln.
The lead grew to 5-1 in the fourth when Kassidey Borland singled and later scored on one of Washburn's six errors in the game.
Lincoln got two more runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Allyson Corry and an RBI double by Cook.
The Blue Tigers then ended it early with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Erin Sommerer, two more Washburn errors and a hit batter.
"We had hitting up and down the lineup," Stacey said. "Everybody was aggressive."
Seven players accounted for Lincoln's seven hits in the contest.
It was more of the same in the second game, where Lincoln had nine hits and Kircher - with a pair of singles - was the only Blue Tiger with multiple hits.
After Washburn got a run in the top of the second thanks to another drop fly ball by Lincoln, the Blue Tigers went on top with two runs in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a two-run double by Borland.
A third-inning solo home run, one of two in the game for the Ichabods, tied it at 2.
The Blue Tigers got the deciding runs in the fifth thanks to back-to-back RBI singles by Sommerer and Amanda Coffelt.
Washburn's other solo homer, that in the sixth, was the only other hiccup for Cook in the win.
"My catcher (Coffelt) does really good at making sure I stay focused on what I'm doing," Cook said. "... She does a good job at keeping my mind where it needs to be. I have to thank her, because she kept me there today."
Stacey said the Blue Tigers had the kind of complete-game effort in both contests she's been seeking from them all season.
"The season could have been totally different form the beginning if we had played like this," she said.
Cook said as the league losses continued to mount, the team never lost faith.
"We have a great group of girls that stay upbeat, no matter if we're losing or winning," she said. "It wasn't very hard to stay up with the group we have."
While Lincoln improved to 2-22 in the MIAA and 7-36 overall, Washburn dropped to 12-12 in league play and 20-21 overall.
The Blue Tigers have a daunting task today for their final two games of the season, as Emporia State comes to town for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Hornets are 41-10 overall and tied for the lead in the conference with Central Oklahoma with a record of 21-3.