Huge Comeback Win In Second Game

Postseason begins well before it actually starts.  The Region IX softball tournament only takes the top four of six teams out of the South division, so the Plainswomen have to make sure that they compete in every game to make sure they are determining their own destiny.  The ladies have been playing really well at home, but to ensure they are staying in the top four, they need to get wins on the road.  With roughly a month left in regular season, the Plainswomen are making sure that they are winning the games they are capable of winning, and competing against tougher opponents.

Traveling to McCook would be a Region IX Conference opponent, so the women needed to make sure they played well to keep ahead or even with them in seeding.  Last time they played, the teams would split the series at home, so they needed to at minimum the split on the road.  Getting anything less than a split would mean Northeastern would rely on other teams to get wins, which is not the ideal situation.

The first game of the series would begin with the Indians getting hot and going up 5-0 over the Plainswomen.  It would be in the top of the third when the Plainswomen would break the ice and try their hand at making a comeback.  Their plans were foiled after only scoring one point, making it a 5-1 game.  The Indians would then go on to score an additional three points in the bottom half of that inning, extending their lead to an 8-1 ballgame.  The game would go scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when MCC would drive in one run, ending the game due to the eight-run rule.  The Plainswomen would now be down in series games 2-1, which made them have to win the fourth game to keep them in contention of playing in post season.

The second game of the day was nothing short of exciting.  The Plainswomen would begin a monumental comeback that proved that the Northeastern Plainswomen are a team to be reckoned with.  The game would start with NJC falling behind by a very large margin.  In the bottom of the second, Northeastern would be down, but not out, and trail McCook 13-0.  With plenty of the game left to be played, the girls would begin their comeback.  In the top of the third.  The Plainswomen would get the bases loaded, and with Alicia Grauberger up to bat, she would get a grand slam to make it a 13-4 game.  Although that is a tough act to follow up, Riley Johnson would do the next best thing and hit a home run as well, making it back-to-back dingers.  Two other runs would be scored in that inning, making the game back in reach with the score being 13-7.  In the following inning, the Plainswomen would again put another crooked number on the board by scoring five runs.  The Plainswomen did it, made it a one run game; 13-12.  The top of the fifth was much sweeter because the Plainswomen would now take the three-run lead after scoring four runs.  The Plainswomen's excitement would soon be brought down and made them focus as the Indians would score two runs to bring it back to a one run game.  The sixth inning would be an inning that put both teams even.  The Plainswomen would score two and the Indians would score three.  The game was tied; it would all come down to the final inning.  The seventh inning would be good for Northeastern as they would get a few girls on base and knock them in to take the two run lead before the Indians mustered up three outs.  In the bottom of the seventh, the Indians would be able to get one run in, but NJC would make the right plays and get three outs before any more runs could cross the plate.  The fruits of their labor would be sweet for the Plainswomen as their win would give them the split in the series, which keeps them hunting for a playoff appearance.

Alicia Grauberger would have herself a game as she would go 3-5 at the plate with six RBI's and a grand slam.  Also, the younger Swat Sister, Gracie Cordova would go 5-6 at the plate, with three doubles, one RBI, and five runs.