OXFORD, Ala. - Northwest saw a 5-2 lead erased with a seven-run sixth inning from Kirkwood, as the Rangers fell 9-5 to the Eagles late Saturday evening in the semifinals of the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship elimination bracket.
Northwest took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as
Saige Koczka scored on a fielder's choice and
McKaylee Polk scored on
Caylee Comer's RBI-double up the middle. Kirkwood would add two runs across the second and third innings to tie the game, only for the Rangers to add three more in the fourth on RBIs from Comer, Polk and Koczka.
Kirkwood trailed until the top of the sixth, when the Eagles blasted a two-run double to left field and took the lead on a two-run triple from Grace Lubben. A two-run single stretched Kirkwood's advantage to 9-5, before
Meagan Allen ended the inning on a strikeout.
Northwest tried to rally back in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but came away empty-handed. Allen would keep the Eagles off the board in the top of the seventh, but Kirkwood delivered the final three outs to end the game.
Sophomores Comer, Koczka and
Molly Harris concluded their Northwest careers on a strong note, finishing with six of the Rangers' eight hits. Polk accounted for the other two base hits, finishing with an RBI.
Gabby Dickerson was handed the tough loss for the Rangers, capping off a stellar freshman campaign with a 26-9 record in the circle. She compiled three strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work, while Allen collected a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief.
With the loss, Northwest ends a historic 2022 campaign at 39-15 overall. The Rangers finish the year as Region 23 champions and as one of the final four teams left in the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship tournament, an event that started with 16 teams.Â
Northwest also bids farewell to arguably the best sophomore class to come through the program, a group that rewrote the record books in two seasons and carried the Rangers to back-to-back winning seasons and a record 39 single-season victories.
(*More to come on the Rangers' single-season and career records.)
