SENATOBIA - Facing a 3-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of Saturday's finale against No. 4 Pearl River, Northwest sophomore
Kaylee Owens made possibly the biggest play of her college softball career.
Owens, a native of Fulton, blasted a deep base hit to right-center field, stretching the play into a sliding triple. However, the throw to third base resulted in an error, allowing Owens to get up and bolt for the plate, resulting in a 6-5 walk-off win against the Lady Wildcats.
Northwest went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the nation, finishing with the split against Pearl River, after dropping a controversial 6-4 loss in Game 1. The split helped the Rangers end the regular season with a 26-18 overall record and a 13-15 conference mark.
Northwest now turns its attention to the postseason, where the Rangers will visit either Itawamba or Mississippi Gulf Coast on Tuesday, April 30. More details will be provided when made available.
Game 1 - #4 Pearl River 6, Northwest 4
Northwest led 2-1 entering the fourth inning, but Pearl River finished with 11 hits at the plate to earn the 6-4 decision over the Rangers in Game 1.
Lainee Bailey led off the game on a strong note for Pearl River, hammering a solo home run to left field with two outs in the top of the first. Northwest went scoreless across the first couple of innings, before finally getting two across in the bottom of the third, as a single and an error in left field allowed a pair of Ranger runs to score.
Pearl River answered right back in the top of the fourth, as Bailey led off the inning with a single to left field and later scored on Anna Kate Rounsaville's double down the left field line. Klair Cuevas then delivered a two-out single to right-center, pushing the Lady Wildcats to a 4-2 lead.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Northwest got back-to-back singles from
Thenya Kennedy and
Ellie Fryar, and an error on Fryar's base hit allowed Kennedy to score.
Abby Rogers would then send Fryar across the plate on a bunt single-turned-error, tying the game at 4-4.
However, Pearl River answered back once again in the top of the sixth, amidst controversy. The Lady Wildcats led off the frame with a double to left-center from Rounsaville and an RBI-single up the middle by Payton Hoffmayer, retaking the lead at 5-4. Caroline Lindsey's single sent Hoffmayer to second and a passed ball allowed both runners to advance into scoring position.
Cuevas then hit into a fielder's choice at third base, where Hoffmayer was tagged out by
Crista Wilson at the plate. Then, Cuevas forced a rundown trying to advance to second, before the Rangers turned their attention to the third base line, where Lindsey was trying to score. With
Kara Johnson closing in from second base, Lindsey took off for home, where she was met by Wilson, who successfully tagged her for the second out.
However, Pearl River objected to the call, forcing a conference with the three umpires. After a lengthy deliberation, the call was reversed by the home plate umpire, allowing the Lady Wildcats to add to its lead instead, 6-4. Northwest would then get the final two outs of the inning, but would go down scoreless in the bottom of the sixth.
Though Northwest successfully retired the Lady Wildcats in the top of the seventh, the Rangers were unable to mount a comeback in the bottom of the inning, sealing the win for Pearl River.
Cooper (10-12) was handed the loss in the circle for Northwest, allowing five earned runs against three strikeouts and no walks in five complete innings. Rogers pitched the final two frames, holding the Lady Wildcats scoreless with a strikeout.
Johnson and Kennedy finished with two base hits apiece to lead the Rangers, but a 3-for-4 effort from Bailey highlighted the Lady Wildcats' performance at the plate. Natalie Herrington (19-3) also went the distance for Pearl River, striking out nine batters against three walks.
Game 2 - Northwest 6, #4 Pearl River 5
Trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Northwest stormed back to take a 5-3 lead, before earning the walk-off win from Owens in the bottom of the seventh.
Bryn Daughtery led off the game with a three-run homer to left field in the top of the first, giving Pearl River the quick lead. The score remained intact until the fifth inning, when Johnson delivered a solo home run to get Northwest on the board.
However, the Rangers were far from finished. After Johnson's homer, Pearl River got two quick outs, only to surrender a walk to
Madeline Houk. Kennedy followed with an RBI-triple to center, scoring Houk and bringing Northwest back within 3-2.
After
Morgen Brewton retired the Lady Wildcats in order in the top of the sixth, Owens and
Hanna Grace Gillean delivered base hits in the home half of the inning, paving the way for Johnson's tying single. An error in
Lulu Franks' at-bat helped
Marleigh Mancini score the go-ahead run from third, and
Chloe Summerford's RBI-single through the right side scored Johnson, giving the Rangers a 5-3 advantage.
With two outs and a runner on first in the top of the seventh, Pearl River struck back in a big way, as Hoffmayer's two-run homer tied the game at 5-5. With Bailey back in the circle, the Lady Wildcats got two quick outs, before Owens' 3-2 triple coupled with an error allowed the Rangers to win in walk-off fashion.
Northwest finished with eight base hits in the victory, led by two apiece from Johnson, Kennedy and Owens. Meanwhile, Pearl River finished with seven hits, highlighted by two from Hoffmayer and Charlee Meadows.
Brewton (14-5) went the distance for the 10th time this season, striking out two batters against four walks and four earned runs. Bailey fell to 19-6 with the loss for Pearl RIver, striking out seven in 5.1 innings of work. Herrington also pitched 1.1 innings of relief, allowing a walk and three runs.
