BOONEVILLE – Northwest opened its 2013 softball season on Sunday at the Northeast TigerFest, splitting a pair of games against 10th-ranked Muskegon and Three Rivers. The Lady Rangers fell 6-1 in the opener before bouncing back with a 2-0 win.

Northwest moved to 1-1 on the year, picking up the two games after its scheduled four-game series at North Arkansas was pushed back a week to March 2-3 in Harrison, Ark.

Northwest was held to three hits in the opener, but trailed just 1-0 in the fifth before the game opened up.

Muskegon scored five runs over the final two innings and chased starter Casey Baddley before Emily Hatcher closed it out. Baddley surrendered three runs off five hits and struck out seven against no walks.

Vicki Johnson picked up two of the Rangers' three hits while Anna Barham had the other. 

Roxanna Kimes threw a gem of a game in her collegiate debut to help Northwest earn the split on the day, tossing a 1-hit shutout and striking out three to beat Three Rivers.

Malea Dillon's RBI-groundout in the third proved to be the winning run that scored Katelyn Westbrook, with the Rangers adding an insurance run in the fifth off Kimes' RBI-single to left.

Offensively, Kimes went 2-for-2 from the plate to lead Northwest, while Westbrook and Haley Vance grabbed their first collegiate hits.

Northwest will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 28, hosting Jackson State at 1/3 p.m. for its home-opener.