By NICK VILLALOBOS
Sports Editor
Rangers softball went 2-2 in tournament play over the weekend.
The Northwestern Softball team kicked off the 8-State Classic with two stellar wins, followed by two unfortunate losses in day two.
As play began in Bentonville, Ark., the Rangers faced the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
The Gorillas would open the game with a 3-0 lead after the first three innings. The Rangers however, would soon track them back down in the bottom of the third.
Northwestern tied the game up at 3-3 when they went three of four hitting from the plate.
The Rangers were able to close out game one in dramatic fashion, as Ranger Madison McGraw slid into home after a Pittsburg State error. The slide by McGraw meant a walk-off 4-3 victory for the Rangers.
The Rangers then faced the Central Missouri Jennies in game two on Friday as yet again Northwestern would prevail in dramatic fashion.
The Jennies would put up two runs early against Northwestern but like game one, the Rangers soon rallied back.
After adding another run in the seventh inning, the Jennies would have a 3-1 lead over the Rangers.
Ranger Peyton Garrett would spark the Ranger comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning when she was hit by a pitch. That led to back-to-back hits by Sandoval and Allora Miller. The hits by both Rangers allowed Garrett to come across to score as well as the pinch runner for Sandoval.
The Rangers would strike next in the bottom of the ninth inning after Shelby Anderson, Miller and McGraw made contact, allowing Sandoval and pinch runner Morgan Lewis to cross home, giving them a 5-4 lead.
The late scoring for the Rangers was their second walk-off victory of the day.
The Rangers then had a double-header on Saturday with neither game going in their favor.
In the first game, Northwestern was shut down both offensively and defensively against the Northeastern Riverhawks.
It was not till the last inning when the Rangers got on the scoreboard with a Miller home run.
The Rangers added two more when Ranger Lindsay Thorstenson hit a double, allowing teammates Stephanie Couser and McGraw to come around for the score.
Despite the late runs by the Rangers, the Riverhawks would take the contest 7 to 3.
The second game on Saturday was a back-and-forth battle between the Rangers and Emporia State.
The Hornets were able to get on the board first with a solo home run in their first at-bat in the third inning.
The Rangers answered in the next inning, as three runs came in, lifting them to a 3-1 lead.
Emporia State would tie the game back up at three apiece after they hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Miller and Thorstenson would add two more runs when Miller hit her second home run of the weekend in the fifth inning.
The Rangers continued to build on their lead in the top of the sixth inning, pushing their lead to 6-3. Emporia State, however, would soon rally right back in the bottom of the sixth. The Hornets connected for two two-run homeruns in the inning, propelling them to the 7-6 victory over the Rangers.
The Rangers (4-5) will take to the mound at 1 p.m. Friday as they travel to Southern Arkansas to open conference play.