Shawnee, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern softball team dropped games to both Emporia State (6-1) and Northwest Missouri (1-0) today in the first day of the 2007 MIAA Softball Tournament.

The losses end Southern's season at 16-35. The Lions started the day with a matchup with 10th ranked and No. 1 seed Emporia State. Southern, just one week ago, came from behind to defeat the Hornets 3-1 at this very location in a make-up of a rain shortened double-header at Joplin.

The Lions would score first against Emporia after Kayleigh Cecil homered to left field to put Southern up 1-0. Lacee Craig was on cruise control, holding the Hornets scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when the Hornets scored three and followed that up with three more in the bottom of the sixth.

ESU pitcher Courtney Reed allowed just three hits and that one home run to Cecil. JT Taylor went 2-2 in the game, and Cecil was 1-3 with a run and an RBI.

A suicide squeeze in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Northwest Missouri past Southern in game two today, 1-0.

Tamika Barnes started for the Lions and was on top of her game, striking out seven and scattering seven hits in just over seven innings of work. Northwest pitcher Kelly Morris was just as tough, striking out nine in eight innings.

The game remained scoreless heading into extras when Linellis Santiago singled to start the inning. She moved up to second after a sacrifice from Lindsay Stephenson and advanced to third when Erin Leslie added an infield single to put runners at the corners. Kalia Ballard then laid down a suicide squeeze scoring Santiago for the game winner.

Kate Brittan, Emily McPeters, Barnes, Taylor and Godfrey all had hits for the Lions.