The Northwest Missouri State softball team earned its first wins of the season on Friday as they took a 4-0 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State and a 9-8 win from Missouri S&T at the Arkansas-Monticello Five State Classic.

The Bearcats saw their record climb to 2-4 on the young season and have a chance to get back to .500 on Saturday. Northwest continues action in Bentonville as they open Saturday with University of Illinois-Springfield at 12:30 p.m. before closing the day against Rockhurst at 3 p.m.

In the second game of the day the Miners took the early lead adding four runs in the top of the first, but Northwest battled back with three runs in the bottom half. Kayli Schurman blasted a three-run homer for her only hit of the game pulling Northwest within one.

The Bearcats tied the game up on a Miner throwing error in the bottom of the second as Jordan Gadbois scored the first of her three runs in the game. Gadbois added two hits in the afternoon game.

Northwest would break the game open in the fourth when Josie Van Houten and Angela Wright each singled home runners for their only RBIs. The third run of the inning was aided by an S&T error putting Northwest up 7-4.

In the bottom of the fifth the Bearcats added two more runs, which proved to be more than just insurance runs.

The Miners would rally in the top half of the sixth as they finally chased Northwest starter Abbie Vitosh. Vitosh was responsible for all eight Miner runs and 12 hits as she struck out three.

Morgan Brunmeier entered with the bases loaded only allowing one hit. However, the one base hit pulled the Miners within a run at 9-8. From there Brunmeier would close the door not allowing a base runner and picking up her first save of the year in two innings of work.

In the Bearcats first game of the day Northwest took a shutout win over Oklahoma Panhandle State, 4-0. Stats from the day’s first game were not available.

— NWMSU Sports Information —