Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST. PAUL – After a week of postponing and rescheduling games due to the field conditions, the Northwestern College softball team got its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) season underway against Northland College Sunday afternoon, splitting the doubleheader. The Eagles took control of the first game, 7-3, while the squad dropped the second in 2-4 fashion.

In the first contest, NWC held Northland to one hit in the top of the first inning, which would prove to be the LumberJills last until the top of the seventh. The home team on the scoreboard was unable to get the bats firing in its first at-bat, but just one inning later, Megan VanHulzen (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) was the first Northwestern player on base after being hit by a pitch. Kristin Sigurdsen (Barron, Wis./Barron) would rattle off a single through the left side, pushing VanHulzen to second, while Anna Schurch (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) brought her teammate home after sending one up the middle. Lauren Young (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) reached on a fielder's choice as the next batter up, but a Northland error would result in Sigurdsen making it home, stretching the lead to 2-0. The inning would end with another visitor error, giving the Eagles another run and a 3-0 advantage heading in to the top of the third.

After another three-up, three-down top half of the inning featuring two Molly Johnsen (Floodwood, Minn./Floodwood) strikeouts, the Eagles yet again began a scoring rally after Briana Rodgers (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) got on base and advanced to second after a LumberJill error. Morgan Pfaff (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) would eventually draw a walk, before Sigurdsen nailed a homer over the left field fence, notching three more runs for a 6-0 total. The Purple and Gold would get two more runners on base before three outs had been called, ending the flurry of offensive activity.

The next few innings were quiet, until Johnsen tripled to right field and was followed up by a Rodgers single down the left field line, resulting in the home team's final score of the contest.

Northland presented a run of its own in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs before the inning had ended, but the Eagles were able to hold on and secured their first league win of the season by a 7-3 margin. Johnsen picked up the victory after recording 11 strikeouts and walking none.

The next matchup began with three visitor outs, while the bottom half of the first featured one Northwestern hit, thanks to Johnsen's left-side single. The game would remain scoreless until the bottom of the third as Rodgers got the momentum rolling with a double, while VanHulzen was close behind with a single of her own. A Pfaff sacrifice fly sent Rodgers home, giving NWC the first advantage of the duel. Next up, Sigurdsen reached on an error that allowed VanHulzen to touch home and double her team's lead before the end of the inning.

The visiting team on the scoreboard responded with a mini-run of its own, cutting the lead in half as Jayna Loy sent a homer to right field. Cue the top of the fifth, and the Jills struck again, making the contest an even ballgame.

Neither team was able to put any scores on the board by the end of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. Northland wasted no time, scoring the first runner to get on base. Another hit would provide the squad with a bit of security before Northwestern was able to notch three outs.

Although NWC was able to draw a walk in the bottom half of the eight inning, it was not enough as the team dropped the contest, 4-2, in favor of Northland.

Northwestern (6-11 overall, 1-1 UMAC) will have a quick night of rest before it hosts North Central University in a single contest on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Reynolds Field.