BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The William Jewell softball team dropped three games, including two by less than two runs, in the opening weekend of the 2023 season. The Cardinals fell 6-5 to Northeastern State (Okla.), 13-5 to Southern Arkansas and 3-1 against Southern Nazarene. 
vs. NORTHEASTERN STATE 
	- Northeastern State took an early 5-0 lead after three home runs in the first three frames. 
- Addie Bell got the Cardinals on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to score Payton Totzke. 
- In the fourth, Jewell rallied to tie the game on RBI from Kenzie Stahl, Amanda Chung and another from Bell, but the Riverhawks countered with a run in the fifth on a double to take the season opener. 
 
- Abby Vandiver picked up three hits in the opener while Bell had two hits and three RBI. 
- Olivia Wood (0-1) suffered the loss in her debut, working the final 3.1 innings with five strikeouts. 
vs. (RV) SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
	- Bell continued where she left off in game one, blasting her first career home run, a two-run shot in the first inning to put the Cards up early. 
- Totzke singled up the middle in the bottom of the second to score another for Jewell and make it a 3-0 game. 
- Southern Arkansas scored four runs in the third frame to take the lead, but Ella Hoffman doubled in the bottom of the frame to quickly tie things up. 
- The Muleriders outscored Jewell 9-1 over the final three innings to take game two. 
 
- Totzke, Bell, Stahl and Sabrina Olmo all had two hits in the game with the latter scoring two runs. 
- Sammie Welt (0-1) took the loss after going 3.1 innings. 
vs. SOUTHERN NAZARENE
	- After four scoreless frames, Southern Nazarene took the lead in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single but Amanda Chung responded with a double to left field, scoring Totzke to tie the game. 
- The Storm scored two additional unearned runs in the sixth inning to go back in front for good.
 
- Jewell was limited to two hits in the weekend finale, one apiece from Totzke and Chung. 
- Sydney Parra (0-1) took the loss after five innings of work. 
UP NEXT
Jewell returns to action this week, taking on Lincoln University on Saturday afternoon.