DETROIT – The Parkside softball team was swept by Wayne State on Saturday at Gary L. Bryce Field/WSU Softball Stadium, dropping a 12-inning marathon 3-2 in game one before falling 1-0 in game two.

Both games were decided by the slimmest of margins, and Parkside was right in each one to the very end. Holly Lowenberg turned in one of the toughest outings of the season in the opener, battling through a career-long 11.2 innings and throwing a career-high 201 pitches, while Casey Jo Vermett followed with another strong effort in the circle in game two. Despite the losses, the Rangers showed fight throughout the day against a Wayne State team that had to scratch out every late run.

GAME ONE (WAYNE STATE 3, PARKSIDE 2 [12 INN]):

Parkside struck first in the opener and grabbed an early two-run lead despite managing only three hits all game.

Mia Johnson opened the top of the first with a walk, and after CICI Di Silvio was hit by a pitch and Taylor Utrata was also plunked, Megan Medlin brought home the game's first run when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. In the second, Reese Valha doubled down the left-field line and later scored when Di Silvio laced an RBI double off the wall in left center, giving the Rangers a 2-0 advantage.

That was the extent of the offense against Wayne State starter Sydney Long, who settled in and struck out 18 over 12 innings. But Lowenberg matched her for much of the afternoon and kept Parkside in command through the early innings. The junior worked around traffic in the first, third and fourth, then carried the shutout into the fifth before the Warriors finally broke through. Maddie Hool singled, Molly Hool followed with a base hit, and Mia Hool lined an RBI single to right center to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Wayne State drew even in the sixth. Kate DeWitt walked, Elly Koopman doubled to left to move the tying run to third, and Sydney Long lifted a sacrifice fly to center that made it 2-2.

From there, the opener turned into a marathon.

Lowenberg stranded the go-ahead run in scoring position in the seventh after Wayne State reached on a bunt and a throwing error, then worked around another miscue in the eighth. Parkside had its own chances late, including a Utrata single and stolen base in the eighth, but could not deliver the go-ahead run. Neither team scored in the ninth, and both sides were turned away in the 10th and 11th despite the international tiebreaker putting runners in scoring position.

In the bottom of the 12th, Hunter Near began the inning at second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. After a popout left Parkside one out away from extending the game, Koopman hit a ground ball up the middle. Utrata made a dazzling diving stop to her right to keep the ball on the infield, but had no play at first or home as Near crossed with the winning run for Wayne State's walk-off 3-2 victory.

Lowenberg deservedly headlined the opener for Parkside. She threw 11.2 innings, allowed nine hits and just two earned runs, walked five and struck out five while tossing 201 pitches, all career highs in both innings and pitch count. She repeatedly pitched out of trouble and gave the Rangers every chance to win.

Parkside finished with just three hits, but Di Silvio went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Valha doubled and scored. Medlin drove in the other run, Johnson scored once and walked, and Utrata added the Rangers' only other hit while also stealing a base. Parkside was hit by three pitches and turned two double plays defensively.

Wayne State collected nine hits in the win. Maddie Hool and Mia Hool each had two hits, Koopman drove in the winning run, and Sydney Long not only earned the win in the circle but also knocked in the tying run with her sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

GAME TWO (WAYNE STATE 1, PARKSIDE 0):

The second game turned into a classic pitchers' duel, but Wayne State scratched across the only run of the afternoon in the fourth inning and made it stand in a 1-0 win.

Offense was hard to find on both sides from the start. Ava Swain singled in the first for Parkside, Megan Medlin singled in the second, and Reese Valha doubled in the third, but the Rangers could not push a run home. Their best early chance came in the third when Valha's double and walks to Di Silvio and Swain loaded traffic on the bases, only for Wayne State to escape the inning unscathed.

Vermett was sharp throughout and matched Wayne State starter Hayden Batton inning for inning through the first three frames. She stranded runners in the first and third, then ran into the game's only scoring sequence in the bottom of the fourth. Maddie Hool singled, Molly Hool followed with a single to left center, Abby Barnes walked to load the bases, and a wild pitch allowed Maddie Hool to score from third for a 1-0 Wayne State lead.

That lone run proved to be enough, though Parkside continued to threaten. In the sixth, Swain singled again and Utrata added a base hit to put the tying run in scoring position with one out, but Wayne State got a strikeout and a groundout to escape. The Rangers went down in order in the seventh as Batton finished off the shutout.

Vermett was strong despite the tough-luck loss, throwing six innings and allowing just four hits and one earned run while walking four and striking out 10. She kept the Rangers within one swing all game and did not allow an RBI hit.

Parkside finished with five hits in the second game. Swain led the way by going 2-for-2 with a walk, while Utrata, Medlin and Valha each added one hit. Valha's double was Parkside's only extra-base hit, and the Rangers drew two walks but stranded six runners.

Wayne State managed only four hits of its own. Maddie Hool scored the game's lone run, while Batton tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits and striking out six.

The two losses dropped Parkside to 11-17 overall and 2-4 in GLIAC play, but the Rangers still received standout work in the circle and remained competitive throughout a difficult day on the road. Lowenberg's 11.2-inning effort in the opener was one of the grittiest performances of the season, and Vermett followed it with a 10-strikeout complete game in the second contest.

Parkside concludes the weekend Sunday, March 29, at Saginaw Valley State in University Center, Michigan, with the doubleheader beginning at noon CT.

To keep up with the Rangers this weekend, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.