By COLLIN ZINK, Senior Reporter
The Northwestern Rangers softball team has been struggling since Feb. 27, as the team has compiled a 2-6 record since the end of the month.
Coach Ryan Wondrasek said the team is improving but still struggling.
“We had a tough weekend down at Monticello,” Wondrasek said. “We played well. We had some opportunities where we could’ve changed the game if we played a little differently. Still have some work to do, but overall, I think we’re headed into the right direction.”
Wondrasek said the offense is solid and the defense needs improvements.
“Right now, the offense is playing pretty well,” Wondrasek said. “We are getting some run production pretty much every game, and we got threats throughout the lineup. Defense is where we still need to clean up a little bit and continue to progress and give ourselves a better opportunity.”
Wondrasek said the upperclassmen, especially Lindsey McElroy and Abby DeTar, are helping the team. He also said Hannah Howell has been good at pitching and on offense.
The Rangers opened up their conference play against Arkansas-Monticello, losing all three games by a score of 11-7, 8-0 and 5-4.
In the first game, the Rangers were down 4-0, but DeTar got the scoring started for Northwestern in the fourth inning.
McElroy, Howell, and Jayden Solberg also scored in the fourth inning.
The Rangers only scored twice in the fifth inning by way of DeTar and McElroy, and that was the last time the Rangers scored in Game One against the Boll Weevils.
Mackenzie Adams got the scoring started for the Rangers in the second inning of the third game against the Weevils, which put Northwestern within one run of tying it.
Solberg brought Northwestern within one run of tying it in the fourth inning, and Adams tied it at three in the fourth.
The Rangers brought it within one once again, this time in the seventh, but it was not enough, as the Boll Weevils won.
The Rangers split games with Newman University and went 1-2 against East Central. The Rangers’ next home game will be a doubleheader March 9 against the Bulldogs of Southwestern, starting at 1 p.m.