EUNICE, La. - With its backs to the wall and facing elimination in Day Two of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, Northwest struck early and often with a whopping 11-run first inning, defeating and eliminating tournament host and 15th-ranked LSU Eunice by a 12-6 final.

With the victory, Northwest claimed its first win in program history against LSU Eunice, which also marked the first win ever for the Rangers in Region 23 Tournament competition. The Rangers also improved to 20-17 on the season, while the defending national champion Lady Bengals ended their season at 34-22 overall.

Northwest did most of its damage in the top of the first inning, which was sparked by Saige Koczka drawing a leadoff walk. A well-placed bunt from Kaitlyn Bednarek resulted in a single and an error at first base, allowing Koczka to reach third.

Maddie Brower's single through the left side would plate Koczka for the Rangers' first run, followed quickly by a two-run single from MyCala Helms.

After Kaylei Peterson made it a 4-0 lead on a single to third base, LSU Eunice made a call to the bullpen, but not much changed for the Lady Bengals. Still working with no outs, Northwest would get three RBI-singles from Oakley Laughter, Koczka and Bednarek, pushing the Northwest lead to 7-0.

Northwest kept the bats hot in the first, as Brower's two-run single made it a 9-0 advantage for the Rangers. An error at second allowed the final two runs to score, sending the Rangers into the field with a solid 11-0 lead.

LSU Eunice found some success of its own in the home half of the inning, as a sac fly to right and a two-run double from Sydnei Simon helped the Lady Bengals put three on the board. However, the scoring threat would come to a quick end as Molly Harris tracked down a popup in foul territory.

Northwest added a run in the second with Koczka's sac fly to right, but the Lady Bengals pinned two Ranger runners on base to end the inning.

LSU Eunice once again clawed back in the bottom of the second, thanks to an RBI-single from Katelyn Courville and a two-run homer from Olivia Hennen. With the lead cut to 12-6, Peterson entered the circle and sent the Lady Bengals down 1-2-3 to end the rally.

From there, the game turned into a pitcher's duel for the final five innings. Cendall Barton gave LSU Eunice a solid 6.2 innings of relief, allowing an earned run with a strikeout against one walk. Meanwhile, Peterson threw six flawless innings for Northwest, allowing one hit and no walks or earned runs to help the Rangers seal the upset.

Northwest hammered out 13 hits on the day, led by a 3-for-4 effort from Bednarek and two hits apiece from Brower, Ferguson and Laughter. Mary Britton Faulkner, Helms, Koczka and Peterson finished with one hit apiece.

LSU Eunice was held to four hits in the contest, including two from Simon. Courville and Hennen finished with the other two hits for the Lady Bengals.

Northwest will now set its sights on Saturday's opponent, No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Lady Bulldogs have won all three previous meetings against the Rangers this season, most recently a 4-1 loss in the opening round of last week's MACCC Tournament.

First pitch is set for noon against MGCCC, with a live stream available here, courtesy of tournament host LSU Eunice.