SUMMIT – Northwest dropped its first two games of the season Friday afternoon at Southwest's Lady Bears Field, falling 4-0 to 10th-ranked LSU Eunice and 4-3 to host Southwest Mississippi.

Northwest hung with LSUE, the three-time national champs, up until the fifth inning when the Lady Bengals scratched across three runs. An RBI-single from Madison Edmonston broke the scoreless tie and LSUE scored two more on a sac fly and two-out, RBI-double from Rebecca Skains.

Hope Vizinat's RBI-groundout in the sixth made the final 4-0.

Northwest's lone threat came in the seventh inning, putting two runners on with two down, before a fly out ended it.

Abigail Leonards (10-1) tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout for the win while Tori Luke (4-1) took her first loss of the season after scattering eight hits, four runs and a pair of strikeouts.

Southwest (7-6) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead through the first three innings, highlighted by Macy Fulton's two-run homer in the second.

The Rangers broke a 12-inning scoreless drought with a single run in the sixth to pull within 4-1, using an RBI-single from Hailee Kolwyck. A base running mistake at third, however, with two on ran the Rangers out of what could have been a big inning.

Northwest scored two more in the seventh on a Luke groundout and Allison Williams infield single with two down to pull within 4-3 but wouldn't get any closer.

Kolwyck did a fantastic job of keeping the Rangers in the game in the circle, entering in the third in relief of Ashton Needham and tossing 3.1 innings of scoreless ball with three strikeouts.

Both teams finished with nine hits. Kailey Walker and Williams had two apiece for Northwest. 

The Rangers return to action Monday, Feb. 29 at 1 p.m. against Holmes in the MACJC-opener for both teams.