The Northwest Missouri State softball team dominated Concordia-St. Paul for a 7-0 victory in game one and outlasted Illinois-Springfield 6-5 in extra innings Friday on day one of the 7-State Classic.

Game one was a complete effort from Jenna Creger, as the senior held the Golden Bears to just three hits for the complete game shutout. Creger struck out seven and only walked one batter to improve to 2-0 on the season.

The Bearcat offense saw three multi-hit games including a 4-for-4 effort from Kristen Uthe. Uthe doubled, scored a run and drove in a run to help pace the Bearcat offense.

Stephanie Price accounted for over half the Bearcat offense in game one as she finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Price put Northwest on the board in the top of the third inning with a RBI single that scored Uthe before Kylie Cantrell hustled for a two RBI double giving the Bearcats an early 3-0 lead.

Northwest extended its lead in the fourth when Price blasted a no-doubt three-run homer to left field. The home run followed a RBI double from Uthe giving the Bearcats a 7-0 lead.

From there Creger would cruise as she retired 13 of the final 15 batters to close out the win.

Game two had more excitement as the Bearcats needed extra innings to finish off the Prairie Stars, 6-5.

The Bearcats built a 2-0 lead when Candace Miller singled to right field scoring Rachael Schmitz and Jordan Gadbois. Gadbois was hit by a pitch while Schmitz place a bunt single down the first base line to start the third inning.

UIS would add a single run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to tie the game at 3-3 before a scoreless seventh inning sent the game to extras.

Both teams scored a run in the eighth before Northwest got two wild pitches to help score two runs in the ninth inning. Jordan Ereth doubled to lead-off the inning, pushing the runner at second to third, before the wild pitches scored both runners giving Northwest a 6-4 lead.

Reliever Paige Blythe was able to dance around a walk and a RBI single to start the final inning. Holding onto the one-run lead Blythe forced back-to-back groundouts to end the game.

Ereth finished 3-for-4 in the second game with two runs scored while Uthe and Cantrell added the final two RBIs to join Miller.

The Bearcats move to 4-0 on the season as they continue action Saturday taking on Oklahoma Christian in game one at 10 a.m. with the night cap against Southern Arkansas to follow at 2 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —