COLUMBIA, Ky. – The penultimate Mid-South series for the Blue Raider softball team ended with a split on Sunday afternoon, as Lindsey Wilson downed Georgetown (Ky.) 8-3 in game one before falling 12-2 in game two.

Olivia Franceschi muscled a team-high three hits on the day, including two for extra bases, and  Brylee Pickerell added two hits.

 
Game One: Lindsey Wilson 8, Georgetown 3

Pickerell connected on a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning and Kendall Dailey provided an insurance bomb in the sixth to help the Blue Raiders to their first win of the series.

Georgetown jumped ahead 1-0 after the first inning. The lead did not hold for long when Brooklynn Ott singled home Franceschi to knot the score in the second frame. That same inning, Lindsey Wilson grabbed its first lead after a Tigers' throwing error cleared the way for Kelsie Bostock to score from second base.

The visitors pushed back with a run in the fourth, and eventually moved back in front with another tally in the top of the fifth.

Then, in the bottom leg of the inning, Melaina Tucker led off with a walk to set up Pickerell for the game-winning hit. The senior wasted no time during her at-bat, sending the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for her team-leading fifth home run of the season.

The following inning, a single by Bostock and a walk to Ott put two runners aboard for Dailey with two outs. Another senior for the Blue Raiders, Dailey launched her first career home to straight-away center, extending the host's advantage to 7-3.

A pickle-in-the-middle play involving Elizabeth Funk between first and second base drew attention away from Pickerell to score from third base later in the inning, putting the score at its 8-3 final.

Kayden Murray fired another complete-game effort to secure her 11th victory of the season in the circle for Lindsey Wilson. The freshman retired six Tigers on strikes and allowed two earned runs on seven hits.

 
Game Two: Lindsey Wilson 2, Georgetown 12 (5 Innings)

An eight-run second inning by Georgetown proved too much for Lindsey Wilson to overcome in game two.

The wild frame ballooned the Tigers' lead up to 9-0 after they had opened the scoring in the first inning.

Franceschi got the home side on the board with an RBI-single in the second inning, then later connected on her first career home run in the bottom of the fourth frame to trim the deficit to 9-2.

Georgetown closed the game with three runs in the top half of the fifth and Lindsey Wilson could not find an answer.

Savannah Robbins worked three complete innings of relief and surrendered one earned run on four hits while striking out one.

 
The Blue Raiders face a quick turnaround as they travel to Rio Grande (Ohio) for a nonconference twin bill and 1 p.m. CST on Monday, April 15.