JACKSON, Tenn. – In a pair of rescheduled games in Jackson on Wednesday afternoon, sophomore Rachel Kelly hit a grand slam to power Northwest past host Jackson State CC 11-8 before a 6-3 loss to 12th-ranked Des Moines Area CC. 

Northwest moved to 10-6 on the year with the split and is now 8-2 in non-conference play.

After trading three runs apiece in the first inning in the game against Jackson State, Kelly hit her and Northwest's first home run of the year in the second inning – a grand slam to left-center.

Northwest added a single run in the fourth on Roxanna Kimes' single up the middle and put the game well out of reach at 11-4 with three more in the fifth.

Lindsey Shaw went the first three innings and gave up four runs off five hits and made way for Casey Baddley who tossed the final four and allowed nearly the same numbers.

Jackson State was able to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh to make things very interesting, putting the first seven runners on base by way of five singles, an error and a walk. Northwest was able to close the game with a strikeout and double play to avoid a disastrous meltdown and win 11-8.  

Kelly, Vicki Johnson and Lauren Riley had three hits each and Kimes added a pair for the Rangers who had 15 hits, the second most this season behind 17 against North Arkansas. Eight different Rangers had at least one hit in the game.

Des Moines Area CC (8-0) used a complete-game seven-hitter from Mari Silliman and 11 strikeouts to hold off Northwest 6-3 to close the afternoon.

Trailing 4-0 after 3 1/2 innings, the Ranger offense woke up and made a late push.

Northwest cut the deficit to 4-2 with a pair of runs in the fourth, using a leadoff triple off the top of the wall from Carlie Jenkins and a pair of singles from Baddley and Johnson. Jenkins came around to score off a wild pitch, and Baddley drove in Johnson.

Malea Dillon's RBI-double up the middle in the fifth pulled the game within a single run at 4-3, but the Lady Bears got runs over the next two frames off a Jayden Ott home run and sac fly to make the final 6-3.

In the leadoff spot for the first time this season, Jenkins led the Rangers by going 3-for-4.

Northwest will step back into division play this weekend, weather permitting, as they welcome East Mississippi into Senatobia for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, March 23.

Fans can follow along with live stats here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/northwestms/softball.