Northeast Mississippi Community College's softball team edged out a one-run win in the opener against Mississippi Delta on Saturday, April 13 in Moorhead.

Freshman infielder Haleigh Moffett made sure the nightcap was not so close.

Northeast (19-10-1, 11-5 in North Division) rallied back from a 4-0 deficit to take a 7-6 win in eight innings against Mississippi Delta before Moffett bashed three home runs and Ellen Tarrant added her third home run of the year as the Lady Tigers blanked the Lady Trojans 18-0 in five innings in the nightcap.

Northeast, which received votes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Top 20 National Softball Poll on April 10, finally found its offense in the third inning of the opener and rallied back to tie the game at 4-all behind a two-out double by winning pitcher Erin Dixson.

After Gracie Michael chased home Becky Robinson with a grounder to short to break the Lady Trojan shutout, Moffett's fielder's choice to second allowed Bianca Chagolla to score and cut the lead down to 4-2 while Dixson followed with her two-out, two-run double to right.

Dixson's double scored Andrea Cutts and Moffett and put the Lady Tigers back in the game.

A Terri Warren single in the bottom half of the inning gave the host a 5-4 advantage before the Lady Tigers could mount a comeback in the seventh.

After Chagolla, Cutts and Moffett all reached to start the frame, the Lady Tigers went to their final at bat before Cutts was able to scamper home on a passed ball and tie the game at 5-all.

Dixson made sure there was not a repeat of the third inning where the Lady Tigers battled back only to see the Lady Trojans recapture the lead in the home half of the inning.

Dixson tossed a perfect seventh to force extra inning by getting the Lady Trojans to ground out to second and third and fly out to short.

Northeast wasted little time in capitalizing on the momentum from its second comeback of the game.

Corinth's Erin Frazier laced a double into left field that chased home Ellen Tarrant two batters into the eighth and Robinson scored her second run of the game with two down in the inning as the Walnut freshman staked the Lady Tigers to a 7-5 advantage.

Mississippi Delta would stake its own rally in the eighth but Dixson quelled the effort. After Olivia Bafrid doubled to centerfield and cut the game to 7-6, Dixson got Warren to fly out to short to end the game with Lady Trojan runners on second and third.

In the nightcap, Moffett turned the game into her own offensive showcase.

Moffet went 3-for-3 in the nightcap against the Lady Trojan with three home runs, five RBI and scored four runs after being walked in her only other at bat of the game.

Moffett began her offensive showcase with a two-run home run in the first inning that staked the Lady Tigers to a 2-0 lead just three batters into the game and Northeast never looked back.

Moffett made it a 5-0 game in the second inning with her second home run in as many at bats.

The Northeast freshman connected on a 3-1 count to drive home Chagolla and herself for the five-

run lead.

Moffett and Tarrant helped put the game out of reach in the fourth as each homered during the 11-run frame that saw 14 Lady Tigers go to the plate.

Moffett got the inning going with her third home run of the game – a solo shot – to lead off the frame and the Lady Tiger offense awoke with six hits in the next eight batters.

Dixson and Tarrant followed suit with a single and double, respectively, and after a flyout to right, Dana Glissen, Victoria White and Michael kept the hit barrage going with back-to-back-to-back singles.

Moffett would not get a chance for a fourth home run – and second in the inning – as the Lady Trojans chose to walk the West Lauderdale native on four straight pitches with one down in the frame.

However, Tarrant made up for the walk to Moffett with her third home run of the year two at bats later that chased home Dixson, Moffett and herself and staked the Lady Tigers to an 18-0advantage.