Northwestern Ohio scored a run in the bottom of the seventh in game one and led wire-to-wire in game two, sweeping a doubleheader from Lourdes 5-4 and 8-1 on Wednesday at Racer Field in Lima, Ohio.
 
After the Racers scored a run in the bottom of the first of game one, Lourdes bats came alive in the second.  The Gray Wolves pounded out four hits in the inning, scoring three times.  Emily Wallace (Thornville, Ohio/Lakewood H.S.) singled home Hailey Cramer (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview H.S.) to tie the game.  With two outs, Megan Richardson (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon H.S.) laced a two-run double to the gap in left-center, scoring Alexis Nowowiecki (Saint Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) and Wallace.
 
Lourdes added to its lead in the fourth.  Ashleigh Riffle (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon H.S.) led off with a single and moved to third on a double off the back of Nowowiecki.  Wallace then delivered a sacrifice fly that made it 4-1 Gray Wolves.
 
Northwestern Ohio battled back in the fifth.  A home run to lead off the inning followed by three singles in the inning allowed the Racers to tie the game.
 
The Racers won the game in the seventh with a walk, wild pitch, and single.
 
Nowowiecki had two of the Gray Wolves' six hits in the game while the Racers tallied nine in the opener.
 
Elisha Stapleton earned the win (2-3) for Northwestern Ohio, tossing four perfect innings, allowing just the sacrifice fly.  Ashley Roth (LaRue, Ohio/Elgin H.S.) suffered the loss in relief, striking out three in 1.1 innings and allowing just the one seventh inning single.
 
In game two, Northwestern Ohio (27-13, 15-5 WHAC) took the lead in the third, scoring three times on four hits.
 
The Racers added a run in the fifth before Lourdes got on the scoreboard in the sixth.  Nowowiecki singled home Ella Leonard (Lorain, Ohio/Midview H.S.) and the Gray Wolves threatened to score more.  With runners on second and third, a line drive double play ended the threat.
 
The hosts tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Aubrey Brunst went the distance for the win (13-3) in the circle, limiting Lourdes to just four hits in game two.  Roth started game two and took the loss (4-11), working the first three innings in the circle.
 
Lourdes (6-31, 3-15) will close out the 2021 schedule on Sunday afternoon facing Lawrence Tech.  First pitch in game one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Detroit Country Day School in Southfield, Mich.