SCOOBA – Needing a sweep at EMCC on Monday to clinch the eighth and final softball playoff spot, Northwest was on the opposite end of a pair of 4-3 finals, as the host Lady Lions and Pearl River both punched their tickets to the postseason. 

EMCC improved to 19-21 and 14-14 in conference play while the Rangers' season came to a close at 18-18 overall and 12-16 in the MACJC. It's just the third time in the Mike Rowan era (2004-present) that Northwest has missed the postseason.

(Game 1) Leading 1-0 in the third inning after Heath Griffith's solo home run, the game took a turn for the worse after Tori Luke was hit in the shoulder and chin with a ball. EMCC, who was held to just three hits before the scary moment, rattled off nine hits the next two innings and scored four runs to take a 4-2 lead and hold on for a one-run win.

Erin Claire Stegall's two-out, RBI-single up the middle scored Kailey Walker to extend the Ranger lead to 2-0 in the fourth.

EMCC tied the game at 2-2 in its half of the fourth, using Zoie LaVergne's leadoff double to get the rally started. Blake Rigdon's RBI-triple to left-center cut the lead in half before Mallory Vance's infield single to third plated the tying run.

Rigdon and Vance struck again in the fifth with an RBI-groundout and RBI-single to give the Lions their first lead at 4-2.

Northwest took advantage of a leadoff error in the sixth to eventually cut the Lions' deficit in half. Walker advanced to second on Hailee Kolwyck's single and came around to score on Stegall's RBI-single through the left side.

That's as close as the Rangers would get, however, as Jordan Self held Northwest hitless the final 1.2 innings to earn her second save of the year in relief of Valiree Blair (6-7) who went 5.1 innings for the win.

EMCC out-hit Northwest 13-6 in the playoff-clinching win for the Lions who also left 12 runners on base.

(Game 2) Northwest rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the fifth, and got the tying and go-ahead runs to third the ensuing two innings, but could not find the equalizer in a season-ending 4-3 loss.

Walker got the Rangers' rally started in the fifth, reaching on an error, stealing second and then scoring off Kolwyck's RBI-single. Avery McCullough then delivered an RBI-single to left with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to 4-3. The rally ended on a flyout with the bases loaded.

Northwest got the first two batters on base in the sixth off back-to-back singles by Allison Williams and Walker but once again came up short in its chance to tie the game or take the lead. Self came in again for EMCC in the circle and got a fielder's choice to get the lead runner at third before an infield fly for the second out. Still threatening, a costly baserunning mistake at first by Griffith killed the rally as Walker was thrown out at third to end the inning.

The Rangers went quietly in the seventh, retired in order by Self on just eight pitches, but not before Stegall was robbed of a leadoff triple that hit the left field line twice, both in front of the bag and again behind the bag. Two groundouts in the inning would have likely plated the tying run.

Kolwyck was 3-for-4 with two RBIs in her final game in a Ranger uniform. Freshman Leeah Henson also tossed 2.1 scoreless innings on the day, allowing three hits.