SB NW vs SAU
20
Winner Southern Ark. SOUTHERN 15-2, 5-0 GAC
1
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES 3-9, 0-5 GAC
Winner
Southern Ark. SOUTHERN
15-2, 5-0 GAC
20
Final
1
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES
3-9, 0-5 GAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Southern Ark. SOUTHERN 1 0 3 12 4 20 12 0
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 5

W: S. Wader (9-0) L: Howell, Hannah (3-2)

9
Winner Southern Ark. SOUTHERN 16-2, 6-0 GAC
1
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES 3-10, 0-6 GAC
Winner
Southern Ark. SOUTHERN
16-2, 6-0 GAC
9
Final
1
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES
3-10, 0-6 GAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Southern Ark. SOUTHERN 1 6 0 0 0 2 9 6 0
Northwestern Okla. NORTHWES 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 6

W: S. Wader (10-0) L: Forsyth, Ariel (0-3)

Game Recap: Softball | | Madison Parrott, Athletic Communications

Rangers Drop Both Ends of Doubleheader to No. 6 SAU

ALVA, Okla.– Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rangers took on the sixth-ranked team in the nation and the top team in the Great American Conference Friday afternoon as they faced Southern Arkansas University. Their top-ranked offense showed as they tallied 29 runs on 18 hits and 22 RBI's. The Rangers were only able to earn two runs on six hits and two RBI's and tallied 11 errors on the afternoon.
 
The Lady Muleriders not only excelled in hitting but in the circle as well, preventing the Rangers from stringing hits together. The Red-and-Black dropped both games to Southern Arkansas with scores of 20-1 and 9-1. NWOSU now sits with a record of 3-10, with a conference mark of 0-6, while SAU increases their record to 16-2, with a 6-0 GAC mark. Hannah Howell took her second loss of the year in the first game while Ariel Forsyth started the second match-up.
 
The Red-and-Black tallied an aforementioned six hits, three in each game, through eleven innings of play. Kalie Johnson led off both games with a hit to give herself two on the day out of five total at-bats. Joey Casey earned herself a pinch-hit single (1-for-2), while Alexus Bailey tallied the only other hit of the first game (1-for-3).
 
Mesa Gann went 1-for-3 with a game-tying RBI in the bottom of the first inning of the second game. Outside of Johnson's second hit, the only other Ranger to earn a hit in the second half of the doubleheader was Lauran Adcock who went 1-for-2 on the day.
 
Game 1
 
The Rangers struggled to start the first game with two errors committed in the top half of the inning but were able to come together and prevent the top-ranked offense from scoring no more than one run. Johnson started the bottom half of the inning with a bang as she sent the first pitch straight back up the middle for a lead-off single. Back-to-back strikeouts and a ground-out ended the inning and Northwestern were unable to plate Johnson.
 
The second inning was better as the Rangers held the Lady Muleriders to zero runs and only one single through the left side. Bailey followed with her own single through the left side to try and start a two-out rally, but it was not enough, and the score stayed 1-0.
 
The Rangers defense showed some difficulties in the top of the third inning with four walks and a hit-by-pitch that added three more runs to the scoreboard. The Lady Muleriders stayed patient at the plate and extended their lead with a score of 4-0. Again, the Rangers did not answer back despite back-to-back walks from Lindsey McElroy and Taylor Zanca.
 
The Lady Muleriders decided that enough was enough and their offense came surging forward in the top of the fourth inning. Southern Arkansas was able to somehow score 12 runs on only five hits, with the help of three Ranger miscues that gave SAU just enough help to keep their rally going. The Lady Mulerider first baseman Chelsea Fagan sent her first three-run homerun over the outfield fence to start the scoring and it didn't stop there. Southern Arkansas took a 16-0 lead.
 
The Lady Muleriders continued their scoring into the top of the fifth with another three-run bomb from Fagan and an RBI single to take a 20-0 lead. The Rangers refused to give up and rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning. A lead-off walk and pinch-hit single from Casey started a rally. Two more walks gave the Red-and-Black their only run of the game, but a final strikeout finished the game with a score of 20-1.
 
Game 2
 
The Lady Muleriders carried their momentum and patience into the second game as they started the top of the first with three straight walks to load the bases. The Rangers were able to prevent one run from scoring with a force-out at home, but a passed ball allowed one run to slip in to give them a 1-0 lead.
 
The Rangers quickly answered with another lead-off hit from Kalie Johnson who reached second after a beautiful sacrifice bunt form Bailey to move her to second and a ground-out from Morgan La Neve moved her to third. Gann came in clutch with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game 1-1.
 
Unfortunately, Southern Arkansas wanted that run back and more. The Rangers tallied six errors in the inning to give the Lady Muleriders the momentum they needed. They earned six runs on two hits to take a 7-1 lead. Despite a lead-off walk from Adcock the Red-and-Black were unable to respond in their half of the second inning.
 
The next two innings flew by, with stellar pitching from Alexia Taylor, which allowed the Rangers to retire Southern Arkansas in order in the top of the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Adcock tried to start a rally for Northwestern in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out double but was unable to cross the plate.
 
It wasn't until the top of the sixth that the Lady Muleriders were able to score again. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Southern Arkansas a ground-out and a sacrifice fly was enough for SAU to tally two more runs to extend their lead. Northwestern was retired in their half of the sixth and the game ended with a final score of 9-1 in the Lady Muleriders favor.
 
The Rangers' next game will be on Saturday, February 29th, 2020 as they host the second half of the four-game conference series against opponent Southern Arkansas. The first pitch of the doubleheader will take place at 11:00 a.m. with the second game to follow.

For the latest news and updates on NWOSU Softball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com.
 
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