SENATOBIA – Northwest closed out its longest homestand in five years in fitting fashion on Monday afternoon, defeating visiting Jackson State (Tenn.) 9-1 and 7-3 to close out the 10-game stretch an impressive 9-1 overall.
Northwest ran its winning streak out to eight games, improving to 23-7-1 overall, while Jackson State dropped to 7-15. The Rangers' 23 wins match their win total from a year ago with 10 regular season games left to play.
Jackson State broke a scoreless tie in game one with a single run in the fourth, using Courtney Fretwell's two-out RBI-single to right that scored Bo Sullivan after a leadoff single.
No-hit through the first four innings by Paige French, Northwest finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth on Codie Jones' leadoff double to left-center. Thanks to six hits and two costly Lady General errors, the Rangers sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame and turned a 1-0 deficit into an 8-1 lead after five.
Northwest would cap nine unanswered runs with Hillari Plummer's double in the sixth, that scored Stormy Robison after a leadoff double, to earn the run-rule victory.
Casey Baddley (13-1) was solid again in the circle, scattering five strikeouts, three hits and needing just 71 pitches in the complete-game performance. French took the loss for Jackson State, surrendering eight hits and all nine runs (eight unearned).
Plummer and Jones each had multiple hits in the game, while Vicki Johnson added a two-run triple.
The middle of the Ranger lineup went 3-for-8 with four of the team's six RBIs in helping Northwest earn the sweep, closing out a 7-3 win in game two.
Northwest scored two runs in the first off Jones' two-out, two-run double for the early lead, only to see Jackson State respond with three in the third to take its first lead of the game at 3-2.
Plummer and the Rangers, however, would bat around in the bottom of the third to retake the lead, plating four runs off four hits and another Lady General error. Lauren Riley, Baddley and Johnson all delivered RBI-hits in the inning as Northwest led 6-3 after three.
Linsey Hebert would cap the scoring in the fourth, delivering a leadoff inside-the-park home run, to make the final 7-3. A hard-hit ball to right-center landed in front of a diving Lauren Pratt, and then ricocheted into right field which allowed Hebert to come trucking all the way home on the play.
Emily Hatcher improved to 8-4 in a scheduled three innings of work, while Robison sealed the deal on her first collegiate save in throwing the final four innings of scoreless ball.
Northwest will travel to winless Coahoma (0-16) tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
