ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- The College of Saint Mary softball team dropped a 3-2 nail-biter in game one before falling 9-1 to #9 Northwestern College on Friday evening.

Head coach Carolyn Todd Bray summed it up well, saying, "we had two completely different games today."

Northwestern improves to 39-3 overall and 15-1 in GPAC play while CSM slides to 9-27 (2-14 GPAC).

The Flames return to the diamond tomorrow with a 1 p.m. double-header at Dordt University. That game has been moved to indoors to American State Bank Sports Complex, across the street from the Dordt campus.

Game One: NWC 3, CSM 2

Tatum Schmalbeck's two-run single rallied Northwestern from a 2-1 deficit as the Red Raiders escaped the upset-minded Flames with a 3-2 win in the opener.

The Red Raiders struck first as Randi Childress scored Jori Hajek with a squeeze play in the second.

Savannah Schewe provided an immediate answer for CSM, ripping a two-out double to score Megan Garcia and Cassie Wiseman to give the Flames a 2-1 advantage.

"We came out swinging right away and took the lead to put the pressure on," beamed coach Bray before adding, "we had a huge double play with a strikeout-throwout double play from Shaylynn Campbell, Sydney Griffin, and Ella Watts."

"Daisy Lowther made a great diving catch," continued coach Bray, to keep CSM in front as the score lingered there until the fifth.

Consecutive bunt singles to open the inning and a sac bunt saw the Red Raiders threaten. Campbell looked primed to escape the inning unscathed after she struck out Kameryn Etherington but Schmalbeck's two-run knock saw Northwestern edge back in front.

Garcia delivered her third base hit of the game as she led off the sixth but was erased on a double play ball and the Flames did not manage another base-runner.

"All three areas of the game were clicking," observed Bray. "It was a great game against the No. 9 team in the country and showed how good we can be," she declared.

Campbell (5-15) was the tough-luck loser in the circle despite six very strong innings in which she held the Red Raiders to three runs on six hits and struck out four.

Etherington (15-2) fired four innings of scoreless, two-hit relief to earn the win.

Game Two: NWC 9, CSM 1 (5 Innings)

Northwestern out-hit College of Saint Mary 10-3, and used a big six-run fourth inning, in their 9-1 run-rule victory.

"We struggled in all three facets of the game. Our pitchers got behind in counts, we had mistakes on defense, and we didn't hit well," lamented coach Bray.

Jori Hajek put Northwestern on the board with an RBI-single in the second and the Red Raiders scored twice more on a Kameryn Etherington belted a two-run home run in the third for a 3-0 advantage.

Savannah Schewe provided the lone CSM run, belting a solo home run in the fourth.

Paige Stuck doubled leading off the game and Daisy Lowther provided a fourth inning single to account for the other two hits by the Flames.

Kate Kralik (15-1) struck out six over four innings of work to earn the win for Northwestern and Ellie Jacobson fired a scoreless fifth in relief.

Lowther (1-2) took the loss in the circle for CSM.