The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawks softball team (30-22, 21-9) split its National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 2 series against No. 19 University of Arkansas Rich Mountain (UARM) Thursday, dropping a 6-2 decision in the opener and soaring to a 4-2 extra-inning victory in game two.
A three-run bottom of the sixth inning proved to be too much for NPC to overcome in game one. After the Bucks took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, the Nighthawks stepped up, defensively, while chipping away at the deficit throughout the contest. In the top of the fifth inning, sophomore center fielder Tayler Southern (Winnsboro, Louisiana) lit up the scoreboard with an RBI single to left field, followed by an RBI single from freshman shortstop Jordan Householder (Mansfield, Texas) in the top of the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, however, UARM put the game out of reach, driving in three runs with the Nighthawks unable to respond in defeat.
In the circle, sophomore pitcher Bailee Cowell (Clarksville) allowed five runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts over five innings, while freshman hurler Avery Creech (Logansport, Louisiana) allowed one run on one hit in one inning in relief. Freshman designated player Maci Graves (Whitesboro, Texas) and sophomore first baseman Jessica Suire (New Iberia, Louisiana) led NPC at the plate, finishing with two hits apiece in the loss.
Game two nine innings to complete, with NPC emerging victorious in the end. Once again, UARM started strong, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. From the batter’s box, sophomore pitcher Gracie Fowler rallied the Nighthawks in the top of the second inning, delivering an RBI single and later coming around to score on a fielding error to tie the game, 2-2.
For the next six innings, a defensive chess match would ensue, with each team managing to get runners on base, but struggling to score them. NPC broke the stalemate in the top of the ninth inning with freshman pinch hitter Paige Attaway (Fouke) and Householder both scoring on a fielding error to take a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the inning, with UARM’s tying run at the plate, Fowler induced three consecutive fly outs to secure victory over its ranked opponent.
Fowler allowed two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts over nine innings, notching her 14th win of the season for NPC. In the batter’s box, the Nighthawks were led by Suire, who finished two-for-three in the win.
NPC concludes its regular season at Southern Arkansas University Tech in Camden, Saturday, May 3 with an NJCAA Region 2 doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
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