SENATOBIA – Northwest and East Mississippi split a softball doubleheader on Thursday, with the Rangers hanging on for a 7-5 win in the opener before a 6-4 setback in the nightcap.

Northwest moved to 20-18 overall and 14-12 in MACJC play and will need at least a split with Meridian in its regular season finale to clinch a postseason berth. EMCC moved to 18-23 and 15-11 in the conference.

Game 1 – Northwest 7, EMCC 5

Kailey Walker and Tori Luke combined to go 6-for-8 with four RBIs, Harley Smith picked up her 11th win and Luke grabbed her first collegiate save as Northwest held on for a 7-5 win after allowing three runs in the seventh.

Luke's two-out RBI-single put the Rangers on top 1-0 after one and Northwest would tack on three more in the second on Morgan Gresham's two-run single and Walker's RBI-single to lead 4-0 after two.

Magnolia Keller's two-out single to right put the Lions on the board in the fourth but Northwest would immediately respond with Luke's two-run single to extend its lead to 6-1 after four.

The team's exchanged runs in the sixth and Northwest led 7-2 going into the final frame before things got tight.

Smith got the first two outs on four pitches before four consecutive Lion singles quickly plated two runs to make it a 7-4 game. Luke relieved Smith with two on and two outs, and after a wild pitch scored another to make it 7-5, got Kendall Wilkinson on a strikeout looking to end the game.

Game 2 – EMCC 6, Northwest 4

A back-and-forth nightcap eventually swung in the visitors' favor thanks to Keller's 4-for-4 effort and two crucial RBIs late. Northwest led 2-1 after four but EMCC would outscore the Rangers 5-2 the final three innings to get the split.

Luke's RBI-single and Allison Williams' sac fly gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the fourth before Wilkinson's sac fly tied the game at 2-2 after five.

EMCC would then push ahead briefly on Layton Sills' RBI-groundout before Sarah Taylor's clutch RBI-single to right tied the game at 3-3 after six.

Mallory Vance singled to leadoff the seventh for EMCC, stole second, advanced to third on a single and scored on a sac fly to put EMCC on top 4-3. Keller's two-out, two-run single up the middle on the ninth pitch of the at-bat then extended the Lion lead to 6-3.

Mary Thornburg walked, Walker reached on an error and Alexis Winters was hit-by-pitch to put the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh but a groundout and pop up ended the threat after scoring one run to make the final 6-4.

EMCC out-hit Northwest 14-5 and Carly Thompson went the distance in the circle, scattering four runs (one earned), three walks and three strikeouts.

Northwest will close out the regular season on Tuesday, April 25 (was 4/22) at 2/4 p.m. against Meridian. We will recognize 10 players prior to first pitch as part of our annual Sophomore Day at Ranger Field.