OXFORD, Ala. - Northwest was knocked into the elimination bracket on Wednesday afternoon with a 7-1 loss against top-seeded St. Johns River State College (Fla.), but the ninth-seeded Rangers rallied back later in the evening with a 6-1 victory against No. 18 seed Bryant & Stratton College (Wisc.)
With the split, Northwest moved to 44-11 on the season and kept its postseason journey alive. The Rangers will now face No. 7 seed Pima (Ariz.) on Thursday morning at 10 A.M. in another elimination contest.
#1 St. Johns River State College 7, #9 Northwest 1
A grand slam off the bat of Princess Arredondo highlighted a five-run second inning for St. Johns River State College, as the defending national champions scored a 7-1 victory against Northwest.
Carly Dunigan led off the top of the first inning with a double for the Rangers, but no runs scored. The Lady Vikings threatened in the bottom of the first, but left a runner stranded, keeping the scoreless tie intact.
After Northwest was retired in order, St. Johns River State got the bats going in the bottom of the second, starting off the inning with back-to-back base hits. A wild pitch advanced the runners to scoring position and a walk loaded the bases, setting up Arredondo's grand slam.
St. Johns River State followed that up with a triple from Alyssa Vallad and an RBI-double from Bailey LeGere, stretching the lead to 5-0. The Rangers did spoil the shutout in the top of the third, thanks to a double from
Ellie Fryar and an RBI-single from
Carly Dunigan, but the Lady Vikings did not allow another run the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, St. Johns River State tacked on another run off an error in the bottom of the third and a wild pitch in the fourth gave the Lady Vikings their final run of the game.
Both teams combined for 15 base hits, led by nine from St. Johns River State. Northwest accounted for six hits, led by two each from Dunigan and Fryar, while the top of the Lady Vikings' order went a combined 6-for-12 at the plate.
Abby Rogers (10-7) was handed the loss for the Rangers, allowing five earned runs and a walk in two complete innings.
Morgen Brewton pitched the final four innings of relief, issuing four strikeouts with a walk and an earned run.
Vallad (21-3) picked up the win for St. Johns River State, issuing eight strikeouts against a walk and an earned run.
#9 Northwest 6, #18 Bryant & Stratton College 1
An early 1-0 deficit did little to faze Northwest in the evening elimination game, as the Rangers scored six unanswered runs to keep the postseason journey alive.
Sophia Santiago got Bryant & Stratton on the board in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI-single, but that would prove to be the Lady Bobcats' lone run of the game. Meanwhile, Northwest struck back in the top of the third with Fryar's RBI-single, tying the contest at 1-1.
It was the fourth inning where the Rangers did most of their damage, as a four-run frame helped Northwest gain control.
Addison Owen led off the inning with a single, and an error in
Lulu Franks' at-bat put two runners on for NWCC.
Marleigh Mancini then delivered a single, loading the bases with no outs.
Emma Jennings sent the first run of the inning across the plate with a grounder to the pitcher and
Kaylee Reed's RBI-single made it a 3-1 lead for the Rangers. Reed would then steal second base, allowing Mancini to score off the errant throw.
Northwest capped off the scoring with Fryar's RBI-single, extending the Rangers' lead to 5-1.
Meanwhile, Brewton tossed another complete game in the circle, striking out seven batters against two walks and an earned run. Her efforts kept the Lady Bobcats off the board down the stretch, keeping a solid advantage for the Rangers.
Northwest used three straight base hits from Reed, Fryar and
Thenya Kennedy to plate the final run of the game in the sixth inning. Brewton would then retire the order in the sixth and seventh innings, clinching victory for the Rangers.
Brewton improved to 26-3 in the circle and Northwest outmatched the Lady Bobcats in the hits column, 11-3. Fryar went 3-for-4 at the top of the lineup with three RBIs, while Owen and Reed finished with two base hits each.
