Northern State took a pair of Northern Sun Conference softball games from Wayne State in extremely windy conditions Sunday afternoon at the Pete Chapman Softball Complex in Wayne by scores of 6-3 and 5-4.  WSC drops to 9-28 and 4-11 in the league while NSU improves to 12-22 and 6-8 in NSIC play.
            The opener saw the visiting Wolves erase an early 3-2 deficit with runs in the third and fourth innings and two more in the fifth for a 6-3 win.
            Both teams scored twice in the first inning.  Madison Gomez delivered a two-run single that scored Lauren Laudick (single) and Kim Vidlak (fielder's choice) for the first two runs.
            The 'Cats took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second when Natalie Arbizu doubled and scored on a bunt single from Riley Holmberg.
            That would be all the scoring for the 'Cats as Northern State rallied for the win.
            Both teams had seven hits in the contest.  Gomez was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs while Holmberg finished 2 for 3 with an RBI.  Arbizu doubled while Dylan Sweeney singled and scored a run along with Laudick.
            WSC used three pitchers in the contest.  Starter Grace Lucka worked 2 1/3 innings followed by Callie Carraher and Sophie Stuart each working 2 1/3 innings of relief.  Carraher suffered the loss.
            The second game saw another Northern State rally as the Wolves scored twice in the fifth to tie the score at 4-4 then take advantage of two Wildcat errors in the seventh to score the game-winning run for a 5-4 victory and sweep.
            WSC took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI groundout from Paiton Tornberg that scored Holmberg (single).
            After NSU took a 2-1 lead in the second, WSC came back with a three-run fourth to grab a 4-2 lead.
            Gomez laced an RBI triple to right field to bring home pinch runner Hayley Murphy with the first run.  Gomez then scored on a Dylan Sweeney double with Sweeney later scoring when Abby Husing reached base on an error.
            The fifth inning saw Northern State plate two runs to tie the score at 4-4 then add the go-ahead run in the seventh for the 5-4 win.
            Wayne State had one more hit than Northern State 9-8.  Holmberg was 3 for 4 with a run scored while Tornberg finished 2 for 3 with an RBI.  Laudick doubled to highlight a 2 for 4 game at the plate with Sweeney contributing an RBI double in the contest and Gomez adding a run-scoring triple.
            Stuart, the third of three WSC pitchers, was tagged with the loss in two innings of relief.  Starter Sami Felt worked the first three innings while senior Hadley Chvatal pitched two innings of relief.
            The Wildcats will be at home again Monday afternoon hosting MSU Moorhead in a noon NSIC doubleheader.