MANKATO, Minn. -- The Northwestern College softball team split their four games at the UMAC Crossover Tournament on Friday and Saturday and will head into the UMAC Postseason Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

The Eagles' first game was against Minnesota Morris, who defeated NWC 7-4. As has been the case in numerous games this season, defensive errors haunted the Eagles, as five mistakes turned into a pair of unearned runs as Kelsey Timm (Iowa Falls, Iowa/Iowa Falls-Aiden) (Iowa Falls, Iowa/Iowa Falls-Aiden) threw all seven innings from the pitcher's circle. Northwestern was also out-hit in the game 9-6 and found themselves down 7-1 after four innings. A three-run sixth inning, which included a two-run home run by Briana Rodgers (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) (Monticello, Minn./Monticello), brought the Purple and Gold within three runs, but that's all the closer they would get to Morris.

NWC responded with a victory over Bethany Lutheran in its second of three back-to-back-to-back games on Friday. After a three-run seventh inning tied the game for the Eagles, Northwestern finally broke ties in the 10th and 11th innings with a two-run 12th to edge the Vikings in extra innings. While BLC threw three pitchers in the 12-frame marathon, the Eagles' Ashley Olson (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) (Brainerd, Minn./Baxter) went the distance, striking out eight of the 53 batters she faced. In the mean time, Lauren Walker (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) had three hits in the batter's box and an RBI, while Rodgers had two more RBI.

The Eagles continued their momentum into the next game, scoring seven runs in the first inning against Presentation College, whom NWC beat 8-4. Anna Shurch (Lakeville, Minn./North) got the nod to pitch this time, allowing 12 hits while striking out seven. Alyssa Borgstrom (Amery, Wis./Amery) (Amery, Wis./Amery) was hot with the bat, going 2-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI while Jenna Ruby (Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie) (Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie-Gray Eagle) was 2 of 4, scoring twice to go with three RBI.

Northwestern wrapped up its weekend with a mid-morning game against Martin Luther on Saturday, which turned into an extra-innings one-run loss at 5-4. Trailing 3-0 to the Knights, NWC scored four runs in the third inning after the first four batters all reached base. Ruby was one of those batters as she belted a double to left field, scoring Leighana Nyquist (Cokato, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) (Cokato, Minn./Dassel-Cokato). Martin Luther scored a run off of Olson in the fourth to tie the game at 4-4 before two doubles produced a run in the bottom of the eighth for the Knights to win the game. Nyquist and Ruby helped the Eagles out-hit Martin Luther, but more errors helped the Knights reach base. Olson went seven and two-thirds from the rubber, giving up 12 hits and four earned runs.

Now 18-18 overall (13-8 UMAC), Northwestern will play a nonconference doubleheader at St. Kate's on Wednesday, May 4 before heading to Duluth, Minn. for the conference tournament. Minnesota Morris will be the Eagles' first opponent in the postseason event, as the two teams will square off at 10 a.m. on Friday.