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SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A pair of extra-inning home runs helped propel the Lindsey Wilson softball team to a 9-5 eight-inning victory over top-seeded LSU Alexandria (La.) on Tuesday night in the NAIA Softball World Series, presented by Security National Bank and Morningside College.

With the score tied 5-5 in the top of the eighth inning, senior Andrea Whelan sent a 1-2 pitch into the night sky and over the right-field wall to put the Blue Raiders (50-7) up 8-5 over the Generals (51-5). One batter later, fellow senior Amanda Trampe sent the first pitch she saw over the centerfield fence to tack on another run for the 9-5 lead.

Jordan Hood then retired the Generals in the bottom of the eighth to send the Blue Raiders to victory and keep Lindsey Wilson's season alive.

The win set a new program record for most wins in a season with 51.

After a combination of weather delays and a 16-inning marathon game delayed the start time by over three hours, the Blue Raiders put together their best start of the tournament to begin the game.

Jenna Firestein walked and Chelsea Showers followed with a bunt single to start the top half of the first inning. Whelan then attempted to lay down a bunt, but the ball soared over the drawn in defense and landed near second base, allowing Firestein to score and Whelan to reach safely with a hit.

Trampe then delivered a single to score Showers and after a pair of strikeouts, Travatia Bowden doubled home Whelan to make it a 3-0 game in the first inning.

In the top of the second, Firestein and Showers both reached after a walk and a fielder's choice before Whelan singled to score Firestein. Showers was then able to score after a dropped third strike got away from the catcher to make it a 5-0 game.

But LSU Alexandria, the top offensive team in the country, would not go away quietly.

The Generals loaded the bases with two outs after a pair of singles and a walk. Kaylee Prather then put down a bunt that scored a run and kept the bases loaded. Taylor Simon followed by delivering a single to left to score two more as a third run came in after Firestein's throw from left field sailed wide to make it a 5-4 game. Another single allowed Simon to come in and tie the game at 5-5 through two innings.

But from there, the normally potent offensive teams were silenced by relief pitchers Hood and LSU Alexandria's Marci West, who both replaced their respective starters in the second inning of the game.

The duo allowed the opposition to advance to second base just three total times during the third through seventh innings, but no runner ever reached third in that span.

Hood (18-2) retired a string of eight-consecutive batters while scattering seven hits without allowing a single run. She struck out six and did not issue a walk in her 6-1/3 innings.

West (21-2) allowed just three hits without a run and six strikeouts before finally being tagged with two more hits and four earned runs after Whelan and Trampe went deep in the top of the eighth.

Brittney Graves led off the top of the eighth with a single and after Showers reached on a four-pitch walk before Whelan's three-run blast and Trampe's solo shot. Hood then got a pop out, fly out, gave up a single, but then struck out the final batter to seal the win.

The senior core came up huge for the Blue Raiders at the plate. The quartet of Whelan, Trampe, Showers and Bowden combined to record nine of the Blue Raiders' 10 hits and were responsible for eight of the nine RBIs for Lindsey Wilson. Bowden had two doubles, Showers scored three times and Whelan and Trampe had seven combined RBIs, led by Whelan's five.

Lindsey Wilson now faces seventh-seeded Oregon Tech on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT in another elimination game. The Owls also fought off elimination in a marathon 16-inning 4-3 win over Central Methodist (Mo.) to start the day.

The winner will play again at 7 p.m. CT against Concordia (Ore.), who fell to Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) in the final game of the evening.