MANSFIELD, Texas — The Northwest Missouri State University softball team cooked up a comeback victory in the season-opener with a 3-2, nine-inning victory over the Drury Panthers at the Lone Star D2 Classic.

Northwest Missouri State capitalized on the Panthers' two fielding errors and successfully stole eight bases to move to 1-0 on the season. Kaylee Cords delivered a two-out, walkoff single in the ninth to lift the Bearcats to the win.

Northwest Missouri State took the lead in the first inning when Alexis Brown walked, stole second, and scored on Omara Love's single up the middle. The Bearcats led 1-0 after the first. In the third inning, DU tied the game as Emma Niemczyk scored on Landry Cochran's single, bringing the score to 1-1.

Drury pulled ahead in the fifth inning with a run driven in by Landry Cochran's double, but Northwest Missouri State responded in the seventh. Curstin Todd walked and advanced to third on a series of plays, eventually scoring on a fielder's choice by Love, leveling the score at 2-2.

The game was decided in the bottom of the ninth inning. Mackenzie Mlnarik singled, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. With two runners on base, Kaylee Cords delivered a walk-off single up the middle, scoring Mlnarik and securing a 3-2 victory for Northwest Missouri State.

Jadyn Streigle pitched 3.0 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out two and walking a pair. She faced 13 batters, delivering 53 pitches with 32 strikes and induced 6 groundouts. 

Rien Moore took over in relief for six innings, conceding just two hits and one earned run, striking out 10 and walking four. Moore faced 22 batters, throwing 101 pitches with 53 strikes, and recorded a win, improving her record to 1-0. This impressive performance made Moore the first Bearcat pitcher to reach double-figure strikeouts since Breck Dickey whiffed 14 Nebraska-Kearney batters on March 9, 2024.

Todd recorded two hits and a double, contributing one run and one stolen base. Love added two RBI and one hit, while also securing two stolen bases. Mlnarik scored once, with one hit and two stolen bases.