By Caitlin Hofen, Feature Editor
After losing two straight games to Southeastern, Northwestern softball won 3-2 in the final game to end the weekend series.
The Lady Rangers faced the No. 1-ranked team in the Great American Conference in Durant and secured their first win over the Savage Storm since 2018.
Center fielder Macy Spearman secured Northwestern’s win as her home run at the top of the seventh inning broke Southeastern’s lead and resulted in two RBIs.
Pitcher Hannah Howell earned her third win of the season Sunday with no runs scored, only two hits and three strikeouts.
Howell and Mackenzie Adams led the team with two hits each.Spearman had two RBIs, and Adams had one. The runs were scored by Spearman, Howell and Avery Tittle.
Laney Anderson had the first hit of the game for either team, going to the left side and advancing to second off a sacrifice bunt hit by shortstop Megan Kennedy. Adams received the second hit of the game with one up the middle.
With Anderson on third, Northwestern fell short to score during the second inning with two strikeouts. An RBI single put Southeastern on the board first.
The first run of the game for the Lady Rangers was hit by Adams, with two outs in the fourth inning.
She hit a double into right center that sent Howell home after one of her singles.
This tied the score 1-1. Southeastern answered with an unearned run off an error.
Northwestern came up big in the seventh inning as Tittle had a pinch hit single with one out. This helped setup the two RBI’s hit in by Spearman with her homerun to left center field to give the Lady Rangers the 3-2 lead.
In the two previous games of the series on Saturday, Northwestern struggled to hit and lost twice, 5-0 and 6-1.
The second inning of the first game marked the first time either team got on the board, as Southeastern scord two runs to take a 2-0 lead.
Southeastern scored three runs off three hits in the fifth to make the score 5-0.
Southeastern added another run to the scoreboard with another RBI double into left center. Howell pitched her second strikeout of the game after the fifth run was scored, and the third out was secured by Spearman.
The first hit of the game made for Northwestern was by Adams, singling to the left side. Abby DeTar answered back with a base hit into right field.
The second out was made at the plate with the bases loaded, and Anderson’s hit was caught in center field, sending them into the final inning scoreless.
The second game proved to be just as difficult for the Lady Rangers.
The first run was made off a walk while bases were full, but a double play was made following the RBI.
A line drive went to Kennedy, who quickly got the ball to second base to secure two outs. The final out was made by Abby Johnson ending the first inning.
In the third inning, Spearman reached first base on a walk, but a double play resulted in both her and DeTar being sent back to the dugout for fielding.
Three hits were made by Southeastern consecutively, hitting an RBI at the third at-bat. The fourth batter hit a sacrifice fly to seal a third run, and the next run scored was made from a wild pitch.
The Savage Storm secured a fifth run to have a 5-0 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Northwestern had two hits in the fifth inning, with a single by Kennedy that put both her and Johnson on base. Spearman hit an RBI, earning the first run of the game.
Two hits were made by Lindsey McElroy and Avery Clark in the sixth inning, and Southeastern earned yet another RBI off two hits.
The final ground out of the game resulted into a 2-0 series lead for Southeastern, ending five up on the Lady Rangers, 6-1.
The results of the series puts the Lady Rangers with a record of 8-29.
The Lady Rangers will return home and host East Central Thursday at 5 p.m.