The Northwestern softball team went to Searcy, Arkansas for a weekend series with Harding, but only took one of the three games.
The Lady Rangers are still struggling but remained competitive for most of the series against a Harding team that only had seven losses on the year.
In game one on Friday, pitching and defense kept both teams at bay in the first, but Harding struck first with two runs in the second inning. The Lady Bisons followed up with two more in the third to give Harding a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Rangers knocked in a run during the top of the fifth off a double from Abby DeTar.
However, Harding answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning.
The Lady Rangers did not get more runs on the board, with the final being 5-1 Harding.
In game two on Saturday, the offense struggled to get much done, while Harding’s batting lineup was able to put six runs on the board.
The final was 6-0. Northwestern did not do much against the Bison, as the Lady Rangers only had five hits compared to Harding’s 12.
In game three, fortunes changed for the Lady Rangers.
The start of the game did not look promising for Northwestern, as Harding scored three runs in the bottom of the first.
The Lady Rangers responded with four runs of their own, with Tatum Winters and Macy Spearman each getting a two RBI single to make it 4-3.
After the first, Hannah Howell proceeded to hold Harding at bay, keeping Harding at three runs for the rest of the game.
Abby Johnson gave the Lady Rangers one more run in the sixth off an RBI single for the final run of the game, with the final being 5-3.
The Lady Rangers will be back in action with an away series in Durant against Southeastern. Friday will have a doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m., and Saturday’s game will be at 2 p.m.