SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Northwestern College, ranked 23^rd in the nation, needed some late-inning heroics to edge College of Saint Mary in Great Plains Athletic Conference softball on Saturday, winning hotly contested games by scores of 4-2 and 3-2 in nine innings at the Sanford Sports Complex.

The Flames took leads into the bottom of the sixth of both contests.

"Super proud of us,'' CSM Coach Carolyn Todd Bray said. "We played so good today! We took away their small-ball game and made them beat us with a couple big hits. They are a great team -- nationally-ranked -- and we went toe-to-toe with them.''

In the opener, CSM (4-14 overall, 1-3 GPAC) took an early 2-0 lead. Kynzee McFadden reached on a fielder's choice in the first, stole second and scored on Maria Perez's double. An inning later, Victoria Placzek smacked her first career homer – a solo shot.

Trailing 2-1, the Red Raiders (18-9, 3-1) pieced together three in the bottom of the sixth to get the win.

"We played a great game!'' Bray said. "We had them on the ropes until the bottom of the sixth.''

Bray said Ella Watts had "an amazing game'' at third base and took away their small-ball offense. She said Shaylynn Campbell pitched one of her best games of the year, allowing eight hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking none.

McFadden finished 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles, as the Flames collected six hits.

"I thought we hit much better than when we played them earlier this year, but we left eight runners on base and that was the difference in the end,'' Bray said. "Congrats to Tori on her first collegiate home run.''

Game two was another nail-biter. CSM struck first in the top of the sixth when Watts doubled and then showed some tremendous baserunning by scoring from second on McFadden's long flyout to right-center.

After Northwestern tied it, the Flames went ahead 2-1 in the top of the ninth. Campbell led off with a double and then scored on Allyson Lynch's clutch two-out, pinch-hit RBI single.

However, the Red Raiders won it in the bottom of the ninth on Tatum Schmalbeck's two-run double.

McFadden worked hard in circle, scattering seven hits and allowing two earned runs in 8.1 innings.

"Kynzee pitched an amazing game!'' Bray said. "So proud of her.''

Campbell had two of CSM's four hits.

Bray said despite the losses, the team made several steps forward on Saturday.

"It was really hot on the turf today and Shay, Kynzee and Maycee Hays really battled as our battery. It was a fun day and easily our best softball of the year so far.''

CSM returns to action Wednesday with its home openers, a nonconference doubleheader against Peru State College at 3 and 5 p.m.