The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader against the Lincoln University Blue Tigers today at Cougar Field. SIUE took game one 6-2 and game two 11-1 in five innings.
         Lincoln (5-24) struck first in game one after a two-run third inning. Lincoln second baseman Hanna Wingate scorched a two-run double to right field to give the Blue Tigers a 2-0 lead.
         SIUE (35-9) starter RyAnn Spann shut down the Lincoln offense the rest of the way and the Cougar offense exploded.
         SIUE centerfielder Katie Waldo doubled in the fifth, then designated player Shanna Waldo reached on an error. Jenny Esker hammered a pitch over the leftfield fence for her seventh homerun of the year. Holly Neuerburg followed with a homerun of her own to give the Cougars back-to-back homeruns and a 4-2 lead.
         The Lincoln defense committed four errors on the day, including two in the sixth which led to an unearned run. Amy Rogers drove in a run in the sixth on a double to centerfield.
         Spann earned her 20th victory on the season after pitching a complete-game one-hitter and allowing two runs.
         The Cougars scored early to put game two of the doubleheader out of reach early.
         SIUE scored four runs in the first thanks RBIs from Neuerburg, Veronica Schmidt and Alicia DeShasier. Neuerburg scored on a wild pitch to make the score 4-0 after one.
         DeShasier hit a three-run homer in the third and Schmidt added a two-run single to highlight a seven-run third inning.
         Mary Heather White gave up a run and scattered four hits to earn the victory in game two.
         SIUE will now look to its final weekend of the regular season when it travels to Indianapolis Saturday and Saint Joseph's Sunday for important Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheaders.