Big innings proved to be the difference for Lourdes in its doubleheader at Northwestern Ohio on Saturday afternoon as the Racers swept the Gray Wolves 7-4 and 8-0 at Racer Field in Lima, Ohio.
 
Lourdes threatened to produce a big inning in the opening inning of game, loading the bases with none out, but managed just a single tally as a Hayley Roberts (Brownstown, Mich./Woodhaven H.S.) ground out plated Alyssa Schaub (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold H.S.), who led off the game with a double.
 
Northwestern Ohio responded in the bottom half of the first with three runs on five hits to take a lead the Racers would not relinquish the rest of the day.  The Racers added a fourth run in the third inning and tacked on three more in the fourth to build a 7-1 advantage.
 
The Gray Wolves rallied, cutting the deficit in half with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.  Schaub led off with a hit, and moved all the way around the bases on a sacrifice bunt by Ashley Yeager (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview H.S.) followed by a throwing error.  A two-out error by UNOH in the sixth inning allowed Marche' Venable (Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney H.S.) and Erica Marvaso (Huron Township, Mich./Woodhaven H.S.) to score a pair of unearned tallies.  That would be as close as Lourdes would get as Chelsea Miller tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the save for Northwestern Ohio.
 
"We had many missed opportunities in the first game," head coach Jo Ann Gordon said afterwards.  "We had the bases loaded several times where we did not score and left 10 on base."
 
Erica Gulik earned the win (8-3) in the circle, allowing two earned runs and 11 hits in six innings.  Sam Merillat suffered the loss (2-2), surrendering four runs on eight hits in three innings.
 
Schaub and Hillary West (Walbridge, Ohio/Lake H.S.) had two hits each to pace Lourdes' 11-hit attack while Camile Martin went 3-for-4 with a home run and three runs batted in to lead the Racers.
 
In game two Lourdes managed just four hits against Miller, who went the distance in the circle to earn the shutout victory (7-4).  She walked just one while striking out three.
 
"Their pitcher did a nice job in game two," Gordon added.  "We didn't hit her and our defense didn't back us up, committing three errors."
 
The first six batters of the second inning all reached base, leading to five runs for Northwestern Ohio (17-9, 6-2 WHAC) as the Racers took the lead.  The hosts added the final three runs in the sixth inning to close out the game.
 
Marvaso went 2-for-2 at the plate to account for half of Lourdes hits in the nightcap while Emily Rockman went 2-for-2 with two RBI to lead Northwestern Ohio's 11-hit effort.
 
Brooke Gallaher (Oregon, Ohio/Clay H.S.) suffered the loss (1-4) in the circle for the Gray Wolves.
 
Lourdes (3-9, 1-3) will continue its road trip on Sunday afternoon, traveling to New Haven, Ind. to face Indiana Tech.  First pitch in game one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Havenhurst Park.