Listen to this article LOWELL â Kankakee Valley remained in the hunt for a Northwest Crossroads Conference softball title by handing host Lowell a 3-1 loss on Monday, April 26. The Kougars improve to 4-1 in league play and 8-4 overall. It was their third straight win. KV gave ace pitcher MaryKate Shultz all the offense she would need with two runs in the first inning. The Kougars added a single run in the third and turned the game over to Shultz, who scattered five hits over seven innings with 16 strikeouts and two walks. Lowellâs run was unearned. Shultz also helped her cause by going 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles. Carly Basham had an RBI single and JoJo Short had a two-run double in the first inning.