NORTH ROBINSON — The race for the Northern 10 Athletic Conference softball crown is officially wide-open.

Mohawk’s Bailey Sheets tossed a complete-game five-hitter and Aubrie Harper homered in the seventh inning as the Warriors handed Colonel Crawford (7-1, 10-1) its first loss of the season, 4-1.

The win was critical for the Warriors (5-1, 10-1), who remained with one league loss.

Both teams still trail Bucyrus (5-0, 8-1), but the Lady Redmen still have two games with the Eagles and the Warriors in the next few weeks.

Sheets was dominant in the circle for the Warriors, striking out seven and walking one. The Eagles did load the bases with one out in the fourth, but Sheets got a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.

Mohawk coach Mindy Walton and Colonel Crawford coach Sarah Gray agreed on one thing: The Warriors wanted the game more.

“It was huge,” Walton said. “Crawford is a great team. And when you get Mohawk and Colonel Crawford it is always a great game, no matter what season it is. It was a great feeling to come out on top today.”

“They knew that they had to win for a share of the league, we didn’t play with the same urgency,” Gray said. “They wanted it a lot more, it seemed like.”

The Warriors were far more aggressive the second time against Colonel Crawford starter Lauren Frietchen.

“We expected it,” Walton said of her team’s more aggressive approach. “We laid low until inning five the last game. Our bats were just ready to rock and roll. I knew that wasn’t typical of us the last time so I knew we would come out ready and we did.

“We were a lot better on pitch selection, hitting their pitch, laying off the balls, laying off the high stuff. We did a much, much better job at the plate tonight.”

Mohawk took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Harper walked, and Paityn Clouse doubled to left. Both runners scored on a single from Allyson Young.

The Warriors increased the lead to 3-0 in the third before the Eagles scored a run in the fourth.

Alivia Studer singled and Kaylyn Risner reached on an infield single. Harley Thomas singled home a run before Sheets got out of the inning with a strikeout and ground out.

Mohawk finished the game with a long home run to left by Harper.

“We can’t be so tight when we get up there,” Walton said. “We were too anxious the last game and I said that we need to play our game where we were more relaxed, and we are ready to go.

“This was no different than any other game, we just had to get in there and do your job.”

“They hit a lot better, sooner, this time,” Gray said. “They were on her from the very beginning. That was a little bit different than the other time.”

Gray added that the loss was a wake-up call for her team.

“We have to get better,” Gray said. “They kind of went into cruise control the last few days and this a wake-up call.”

Box score

Mohawk                      200 100 1       4       7      1

Colonel Crawford     000 010 0       1       5      1

WP: Bailey Sheets (7 SO, 1 W)

LP: Lauren Frietchen (6 SO, 3 W)

HR: (M) Aubrie Harper.

Triples: None.

Doubles: (M) Paityn Clouse.

Multiple hits: (M) Tori Phillips, Aubrie Harper, Paityn Clouse; (CC) Harley Thomas.

Records: Mohawk 10-1, 5-1 N10; Colonel Crawford 10-1, 7-1 N10.

Next: Van Buren at Mohawk, Saturday; Lexington at Colonel Crawford, Saturday.