Softball hosted the Northwestern College Red Raiders for a pair of doubleheaders on Wednesday and Thursday at Ravens Field.
The Ravens and Red Raiders split both weekday doubleheaders as the Ravens won Game 1 each day and Northwestern won the second games.
On Wednesday, the teams split the doubleheader with the Ravens winning 2-1 in Game 1 and then losing Game 2 8-3.
In Game 1, Molly Chevalier had the late-inning heroics for the Ravens, blasting a solo home run to left field to give the Ravens a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alex Gilham made it stick in the seventh inning, closing out a complete-game win in the circle by striking out the final Red Raiders batter with two runners on base.
Gilham scattered 10 hits in her 7 innings of work, striking out three batters and allowing 1 run.
Chevalier had two hits and drove in both runs for the Ravens, and Blair Shanks also had a pair of singles.
In Game 2 on Wednesday, Northwestern was the team with the late-inning firepower. The Red Raiders held a 4-3 lead after 5 innings of play, but that blossomed into an 8-3 lead thanks to a 4-run sixth inning for the visitors.
Abby Pressgrove got the start in the circle for the Ravens, pitching 5.2 innings. She gave up all 8 runs, but only 3 runs were earned as the Ravens committed six errors in the game. MacKenzie Pinkerton pitched the final 1.1 innings for the Ravens, allowing one hit and no runs.
Lenae Salinas blasted a 3-run homer in the third inning to tie the game 3-3, but the Red Raiders scored the game's final 5 runs to earn the win. Kaitlyn Fanning doubled twice for the Ravens, but other than the home run by Salinas, the Ravens didn't find much offense.
On Thursday, the Ravens won another low-scoring thriller in Game 1, needing 9 innings to win 2-1.
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, the Ravens loaded the bases on singles by Salinas, Claire Heitz, and Halley Rindom. Natalie Sheffield hit a sharp grounder to third base, but Salinas beat the throw home for the walk-off winner.
The Ravens opened the game with a run in the first inning. Shanks singled with two outs, then scored on a double by Megan Medhus. The Red Raiders tied the game with a run in the sixth inning before the ninth-inning game-winner by the Ravens.
MacKenzie Pinkerton got the start in the circle for the Ravens, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing six hits and 1 run. Gilham got the Ravens final out in the seventh inning, then pitched two more scoreless innings to get the win.
Shanks finished with three hits in the game and Medhus added two hits.
Similar to Wednesday's doubleheader, the Red Raiders answered the Ravens with a win in Game 2 to split the mid-week series. Northwestern scored 4 runs in the fourth inning to help them in a 5-2 win.
The Ravens trailed 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning but started to rally. Unfortunately, a diving play by the Northwestern right fielder on a drive to the warning track was deemed to be caught. One Ravens runner tagged up and scored on the play, but another was doubled up to end the inning and the rally.
Salinas had two hits and a run scored to lead the Ravens hitters.
Alicia Armijo got the start in the circle, pitching 3.1 innings. She was charged with 4 runs, but only 2 were earned. Pressgrove pitched the final 3.2 innings for the Ravens, allowing 1 run.
The Ravens (6-4) will continue their homestand as they host William Woods University with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 6.
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