SCOOBA – Northwest got two strong pitching performances from its starting freshmen but only managed a split as the Rangers dropped game one 2-1 in eight innings and won the finale 6-3 at East Mississippi's Gerald Poole Field Friday night.
Northwest moved to 18-9 overall and 9-3 in the north while EMCC went to 13-17 and 3-7.
Locked in an old-fashioned pitchers' duel in the opener and tied at 1-1 going to extra innings, EMCC took advantage of three Ranger miscues in the eighth to win it 2-1.
Northwest broke a scoreless tie in the fifth on James Lear's two-out, RBI-double to right, scoring Jay King after he reached on a one-out walk.
EMCC found the tying run in the sixth by using back-to-back-to-back singles and an RBI by Nick Brooks. Still threatening with runners on second and third and two outs, the Lions tried a gutsy move by stealing home but LeDarious Clark was tagged out to end the inning.
The Lions were poised to win it again in the seventh, loading the bases with just one out. But Cody Waddell got a foul out and a strikeout to end the inning and force extras.
After Northwest went down in order in the eighth, Jim Tom Copeland came on in relief of Waddell.
Copeland (1-1) hit Brooks, the first batter he faced, and later threw two wild pitches that allowed him to score the winning run for the Lions' walkoff win.
Smokey Ethridge (3-1) went the distance for EMCC, scattering five hits, one run and six strikeouts. Making his third career start, Waddell got a no-decision in seven innings of work, scattering seven hits, four strikeouts, three walks and just one run.
Freshman Tanner Densford tossed a complete-game, six-hitter in his second collegiate start to lift the Rangers to a 6-3 win in game two and earn a doubleheader split.
Northwest got the bats going early, plating three runs off four hits in the first and adding two more in the second to take an early 5-0 cushion.
EMCC used a solo shot in the second from Clark and a two-run dinger from Austin Braddock in the sixth to score its three runs, but that's all Densford allowed in a solid outing.
Densford went to 2-0 on the year, striking out six against one walk for the victory.
Northwest had 10 hits in the game two win, led by Dylan Castoria, Walt McCullough, Brennan Pugh and Kramer Hollenbach with two apiece. The Rangers also stole three more bags to give them 81 stolen bases on the season.
With the split, the Rangers are now a half game out of first place in the north division behind Northeast. Northwest will host non-division opponent Jones County (21-9) on Wednesday, April 3 in Senatobia. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m.
