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Ferndale and St. Bernard’s faced off in one of the wildest and most entertaining softball games of the season on Thursday, as the two teams combined for 46 runs over eight innings.

The Cats and Crusaders played a Little 4 doubleheader at the Bear River Sports Complex and it was the visiting Ferndale girls who walked away with two wins to remain in contention for this year’s conference title and solidify their chances of qualifying for next month’s Charles Lakin Tournament.

But after taking game one 15-4, the Wildcats were challenged in game two, which went eight innings before the visitors secured a 25-21 victory.

With the win, Ferndale improved to 4-4 in the Little 4 and 11-5 overall, while the Crusaders dropped to 0-8 and 3-13.

But for a team that may have lost all eight of its conference games, the SB girls have been scoring plenty of runs, averaging more than nine a game in those losses, which included two overtime defeats and three losses when they scored at least 15 runs.

They also showed a lot of fight on Thursday, rallying from a late deficit with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to force the extra innings.

But with the game on the line, the Wildcats stepped up and answered the call, scoring four runs in the top of the eighth and holding on for the win.

“I was pretty happy for most of the day,” Ferndale head coach Jeremy Griffith said. “We had two rough innings in the second game, but you’ve got to give St. Bernard’s credit, they battled and put the ball in play.

“But at the same time, you’ve got to hand it to our girls. They battled and put up four runs in the eighth.”

The Crusaders refused to go down easily.

“I’m proud of how our girls kept fighting and competing until the very last out,” St. Bernard’s head coach Hailey Wilson said. “Offensively we did a lot of good things, but we have to clean up the little mistakes if we want to finish games like today.”

Two big hits by a pair of seniors helped see the Cats over the line.

With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Tinnley Pidgeon hit a two-RBI double for what would prove to be the winning run, before fellow senior Madison Gossi blasted a two-run home run to stretch the lead to four.

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Pidgeon finished game two 3-for-5 with seven RBIs, while Gossi was 3-for-7 with five RBIs.

“Tinnley had a great day at the plate,” Griffith said. “And Madison keeps getting big hits for us.”

Freshman Abagail Gossi also had an impressive game at the plate and finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and five runs, while Olivia Gossi was 2-for-5 and scored six runs.

Olivia Gossi also got the win.

The junior pitcher started the game before being relieved by her sister Abagail, and she would come back in late to secure the win.

Olivia threw 4.2 innings and struck out six, while Abagail pitched 3.1 innings and struck out four.

Fallon Bullan (1-for-3 with three RBIs) and Caleigh Griffith (1-for-4 with two runs) each also had a base hit in the win.

Freshman Aryanna Osborne led all batters at the plate in game two and finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs.

Osborne also saw time in the circle, pitching four innings and allowing four hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Macie Wantt also pitched four innings for SB, allowing seven hits and 11 walks and striking out seven.

Makinsey Lemley (2-for-6 with four RBIs) and Brittyn Ikea (2-for-6 with two doubles and two RBIs) each also impressed for the home team, while Wantt hit her second home run of the day and finished 1-for-5 with three RBIs.

Macy Amen-Sherman (1-for-1 with an RBI), Logan Tallman (1-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks),  Claira Hoffman (1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI), Chezney Sundquist (1-for-4 with two walks) and Teghan Smith (1-for-5) each also had a hit for the Crusaders.

The SB girls led for much of game one, but the Cats exploded for eight runs in the top of the fifth to take control and added five more runs in the sixth to end the game early on the 10-run rule.

Makenzie Chambers continued her impressive season at the plate and finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, as did Kara Dinsmore, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Madison Gossi (1-for-2 with two RBIs), Pidgeon (1-for-3 with three RBIs), Abagail Gossi (1-for-3 with two RBIs) and Olivia Gossi (1-for-3 with an RBI) each also had a hit in the win, while Olivia Gossi pitched all six innings for the victory in the circle, giving up three earned runs and striking out nine.

Want provided the offensive highlight of the game for St. Bernard’s, finishing 1-for-3 with a solo home run.

Lemley (1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs), Sundquist (1-for-3), Anna Dorsch (1-for-2) and Tallman (1-for-3) each also had a hit for the Crusaders.

Wantt and Osborne split time in the circle.