SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite another incredible pitching performance in the circle for Meredith Dearman, the #13 Northwest Mississippi Community College softball team (28-20) fell to the fourth-seeded Rock Valley College Golden Eagles (58-3) in a 1-0 pitchers' duel on Tuesday afternoon at Tyger River Park.
"It's hard to have a one-hitter and still lose," Head Coach Chelsea Bramlett said. "We just aren't stringing hits together, and hopefully tomorrow will be our breakout game, and we can get our bats going."
The Rangers did have their chances on the offensive side, including a one-out single in the top of the first inning against the Golden Eagles when Handley McAtee reached base, but a pair of fly outs would end the threat.
Another single would get Ava Claire Rhoden on base with two outs in the top of the third inning, but a groundout would end the frame with the game still tied at 0-0. The top of the fourth followed a similar path with a two-out double from Carleigh Calarco giving the Rangers their first runner in scoring position, but a pop out to the pitcher ended the threat before a run could score again.
While the offense was trying to find traction, Dearman was continuing to be dominant in the circle, retiring the first ten batters she faced, including striking out the side in the bottom of the third inning.
In the fourth, the Golden Eagles would break through for their first hit, and they made it count. A one-out triple put McKenzie Culvey 60 feet from home, and the next batter would send a sacrifice fly to deep center field to bring home the opening run of the game.
Northwest responded with a one-out baserunner in the top of the fifth inning when Lindsey Gillis reached on a single, but the same script played out with the Ranger catcher being stranded at first.
The best chance for Northwest came in the top of the sixth inning, when McAtee led off the frame with a single and was sacrificed to second by Lillianna Cates. After a walk to Sela Mancini, it felt like the momentum was starting to shift to the Rangers, but a line drive to second base would catch Mancini off of first, and a double play was the result to strand McAtee at second and keep the game 1-0 in favor of Rock Valley.
Dearman would retire the side in order in the fifth and sixth innings, completing the one-hitter on her side, but the Ranger offense would also go down in order in the seventh inning on two flyouts and a groundout to seal the win for the Golden Eagles and send the Rangers into the elimination bracket.
After the game, Bramlett said that she was proud of the fight and recognized that the team is learning as they go in a championship atmosphere.
"We have to realize we have six or seven freshmen on the field. This is a big moment and a big stage for them, so I think we just need to settle in a little bit," Bramlett said.
The Ranger offense only struck out five times in the game, and they left five on base, putting runners on in five of the seven frames, but the clutch hit is all that eluded them. Dearman took the loss, dropping to 20-8 on the season, but kept the Rangers in the game all day, and at one point, going back to game one, had retired 29 consecutive batters in the circle. She finished the day with 25 strikeouts between the two games.
The loss drops the Rangers into the elimination bracket, where they will play Richard Bland College out of Virginia. The Statesman fell to Parkland College on Tuesday morning in their opening round game in a narrow 3-0 decision and will be playing in just their second game of the tournament.
First pitch of the game is scheduled for 4:00 PM ET/3:00 PM CT. Streaming information can be found online at nwccrangers.com or by following along on Northwest social media accounts.
