Staff photo / Preston Byers South Range’s Jayli Wilt celebrates at second base during Tuesday’s game vs. Girard in Beaver Township.

BEAVER TOWNSHIP — After surrendering three runs to Girard in the top of the sixth inning, the South Range Raiders pulled away from their Northeast 8 rivals in the bottom of the inning for a 10-4 home win Tuesday.

South Range scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth despite having no outs to give.

“It took us until the last inning to win the game,” South Range head coach Jeff DeRose said. “I mean, we let them back in the door. … Obviously, Girard’s a pretty good team, and like I said, it took us the bottom of the sixth to actually – I don’t even call it put it away, because of what they did the inning before. We got to play the entire game, and we finally got some hits that we strung together. We haven’t done that all season. Today, it happens. It’s a great thing.”

Twenty-four hours after its initially scheduled game vs. South Range, Girard started off on a strong note. Quinn Wilster led off with a single and was followed shortly thereafter by a Gianna Saxon walk. The Indians failed to drive either Wilster or Saxon home, however.

Seizing the opportunity, South Range scored two runs in the bottom of the first – on a Jayli Wilt single and then on a Kiera Winner hit – to take the first lead of the game.

After a scoreless second inning, Girard cut into the Raiders’ advantage with a Brooklyn Broll RBI single, which brought Caylee Wilkes for the Indians’ first run.

In the next half-inning, Giada Pauline drove in another two runs with a single to left field. Solena DeJesus further padded South Range’s lead by scoring on a wild pitch the following inning.

Down 5-1 heading into the sixth inning, Girard began its comeback.

Kyra Bell got things started with a one-out bunt single before she and Ava Serrano scored on a Riley Collins blooper. Abby Iceman then tripled down the left-field line to drive in the Indians’ third run of the inning and pull within one.

Unfortunately for Girard, things fell apart in the bottom of the sixth almost as quickly they came together in the top of the inning.

An infield error allowed a run and kept South Range, which already had two outs, to continue to bat. The next batter drove in another run, Girard committed an error in right field to surrender a third run and back-to-back hits brought home runs four and five of the inning for the Raiders.

Needing a big rally in the top of the seventh, Girard could only muster one hit en route to its third consecutive loss.

“We did some great things out there defensively, and then we did some really bad things,” Girard coach Jim Keagy said. “So we got to clean up some of the bad things. But I thought we made some plays defensively. Our pitcher and catcher did a great job. We would have liked to start offensively, hitting the ball a little bit better.”

Tuesday’s defeat was just the latest frustrating result for the Indians; in addition to a three-game losing streak, Girard has now lost six of its last seven.

“We know every game is going to be a battle, and we’ve got some really great teams in our conference,” Keagy said. “The weather’s been a mess, so it was nice to get in here and play and actually get a game in. Hopefully the rain’s past us so we can keep getting a couple games in. But we’re working towards trying to get ready for next Wednesday against Chippewa. That’s our first tournament game. So any reps, any innings we can get now, that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

As for South Range, typically one of the state’s best teams, Tuesday was another learning experience as the Raiders try to round into postseason form.

“Our hitting has been lackluster, pitching’s been good, but here’s the thing: we put a lineup on the field today that we’ve never had all season,” DeRose said. “We’re still trying to learn these girls’ [best] positions. We’ve had some mistakes in certain positions and moved some girls around. What we’ve learned today is the fact that we can move girls around in multiple positions and still play well.”

South Range (12-7, 8-1) is set to travel to Cortland today for a pivotal NE8 game against Lakeview. If the Raiders win, they will be tied atop the conference with the Bulldogs. If not, Lakeview will have a two-game edge and have a clear path to an outright league title.

Girard (9-10, 4-6) is scheduled to host LaBrae in a non-conference matchup today.