SHAWNEE, Kan. – The Quincy University softball team split its doubleheader on Saturday, falling in a walk-off to Northwest Missouri State 4-3 in game one before bouncing back with a thrilling 9-8 walk-off victory over Augustana to snap a 12-game losing streak.

Game 1: Northwest Missouri State 4, Quincy 3

Game one proved to be a tightly contested battle that came down to the final inning. Quincy struck first in the top of the first when Kaidence Dumas launched a solo home run to give the Hawks an early 1-0 lead. Northwest Missouri State answered in the bottom half when Emily Hague walked, stole second, and later scored on an RBI single by Olivia Love to tie the game at 1-1.

Both pitchers settled in over the next few innings as the game remained tied through the third. The Bearcats grabbed the lead in the fourth on a solo home run from Jaidyn Darnell and added another run in the fifth following a double and an RBI groundout to take a 3-1 advantage.

Quincy mounted a late rally in the seventh inning. Claire Fronheise sparked the comeback with a single before Karlie Ingle added another base hit, and Andee Brown worked a walk to load the bases. Kenzie Moss delivered in the clutch with a two-run double, driving in Fronheise and Ingle to tie the game at 3-3.

Northwest Missouri State responded quickly in the bottom of the seventh. Hague led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before Love lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home the winning run and handing the Hawks a 4-3 walk-off loss.

Game 2: Quincy 9, Augustana (SD) 8

Quincy quickly regrouped in game two and responded with a dramatic comeback victory over Augustana. The Vikings struck first in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead, but the Hawks answered immediately. Brown reached on a walk before Makala Koozer advanced into scoring position. Moss tied the game with an RBI single, and Dumas followed with another run-scoring hit before Casey Fornheiser drove in a run with a fielder's choice to give Quincy a 3-1 lead.

Augustana trimmed the deficit in the fifth inning, but the Hawks answered again in the bottom half with a three-run frame. Fornheiser delivered an RBI double, another run scored on a defensive miscue, and Karlie Ingle added an RBI groundout as Quincy built a 6-2 advantage.

The Vikings rallied in the sixth inning with a five-run outburst to take a 7-6 lead, then added another run in the seventh to stretch the margin to 8-6, setting up another dramatic finish.

Quincy answered in the bottom of the seventh. Kinsey Biggerstaff led off with a single before Lindsey Fischer entered as a pinch runner. Koozer then delivered an RBI single to score Fischer and cut the deficit to one. Moss followed with another RBI single to tie the game at 8-8. With the bases loaded, Hannah Uhles was hit by a pitch, forcing home the winning run and giving the Hawks a 9-8 walk-off victory.

Offensively, Quincy collected 16 hits across the doubleheader, with Fronheiser leading the way with a 3-for-3 performance in game one and Fornheiser adding two hits and two RBIs in game two. Moss recorded two RBIs in each game, while Koozer also finished with two hits and two RBIs in the comeback win.

In the circle, Alexus Freeman started game two and worked 5.1 innings, while Uhles earned the win in relief with 1.2 innings pitched to secure her first collegiate victory.

The Hawks will now return home for their home opener on Sunday, March 8, hosting Columbia College in a doubleheader at the QU Softball Field, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 PM.