POPLARVILLE – Northwest split a conference softball doubleheader at Pearl River on Saturday, dropping a 5-2 decision in the opener before bouncing back with a 7-5 win in the finale.
Northwest moved to 9-3 overall and 3-1 in the MACJC with the split while PRCC moved to 12-7 and 2-2 in conference play.
Skylar Cook tossed a complete game, one-hitter in the Game 1 win for PRCC, with
Allison Williams breaking up the no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh on an infield single.
After two early runs for the Lady Wildcats,
Kailey Walker's sacrifice fly in the fifth cut the PRCC lead to 2-1. A three-run sixth, highlighted by Rachel Brockhaus' two-out, two-RBI single, stretched the lead to 5-1 for PRCC.
Northwest tried to rally in its final at-bat, using a PRCC error, hit-by-pitch and walk to load the bases with two outs. Williams' infield single to short scored
Kayla Andrada to make it 5-2 before
Ashton Needham's crushed fly ball to right-center ended it.
PRCC committed four errors in the victory and out-hit Northwest 7-1.
Northwest bounced back in a big way in Game 2, scoring four runs in the top of the first.
Heath Griffith's two-out single kept the inning alive and
Hailee Kolwyck took advantage with a three-run blast to left-center. Andrada's two-run single scored
Kat Holley a batter later to make it 4-0.
PRCC scratched across a run in the third before a Williams RBI-single and error made it 6-1 in the fourth. Andrada's sac fly made it 7-1 in the fifth.
After scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth on a sac fly, the Lady Wildcats made things interesting in the seventh.
Brockhaus' pinch-hit, two-run homer after a leadoff single by Branda Northrop, quickly made it 7-4 with no outs. Brooke Barnes then singled and came around to score off Kristen Martin's RBI-double, making it 7-5, before Martin over ran the bag at second and was tagged out in a rundown for a crucial second out. A groundout then ended the threat for PRCC.
Kolwyck (2-0) went the distance in the circle for the win, her second straight complete game performance, and was also 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a three-run homer. Andrada and Williams also had two hits apiece.
Northwest will host Coahoma on Monday, March 7 at 12/2 p.m., a doubleheader moved up a day due to approaching weather. Follow along with live stats at
www.sidearmstats.com/northwestms/softball and on Twitter @NWCC_Rangers.