SENATOBIA – Northwest jumped back into second place in the north division standings on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping a pair of games over Mississippi Delta – both by 4-3 scores – thanks to solid pitching and timely hitting.
Northwest improved to 22-13 overall and 13-7 in the north, while Delta fell to 21-15 and 11-7.
The Rangers jumped on Delta starter Turner Neely early in game one, scoring four runs in the first. Three consecutive hits to open the inning, including Jordan Barnes' RBI-double, scratched the first runs before Kramer Hollenbach's towering blast to left made it 4-0.
Delta scored single runs in the fourth and fifth to cut the deficit in half, using a solo home run from Danny Springer and RBI-double from Eagle Weustney.
Domenick Carlini worked into the seventh and picked up one of his nine strikeouts before being relieved by Tanner Densford with one on and one out.
Densford struck out Springer for the second out before Brandon Cummins doubled home Tyler Mize to pull it within a 4-3 game. Tyler Scholl cleaned it up from there, inducing a groundout to end the game for his fourth save of the season.
Carlini improved to 4-4 on the hill in 6.1 innings of work, scattering eight hits, three runs, two walks and nine strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches with 69 of those going for strikes.
Northwest was out-hit 9-7 but capitalized off four Trojan errors.
Cody Waddell (1-2) picked up his first collegiate victory in a 4-3 game two win, going the distance and allowing just four hits and three runs while striking out three.
After Weustney's solo home run in the first gave the Trojans the early lead, Northwest responded to tie it in the bottom of the frame off Chase Clark's fielder's choice.
Delta pushed back in front 3-1 in the third off a few Ranger miscues, using a hit-by-pitch and fielding error, and scoring runs off a double steal and the aforementioned error.
Barnes helped Northwest tie the game the ensuing two at-bats for the Rangers, hitting his first home run of the year in the third and driving home pinch runner Phillip Correro in the fourth.
Waddell escaped a bases-loaded jam with one out in the fifth thanks to a 9-3-2 relay and a flyout to second.
Northwest then found the game-winning run in the bottom half, as Clark reached on a walk and moved to second, then third and home all off wild pitches.
Waddell then retired six of seven to close the game to earn the complete-game win.
Northwest controls its own destiny for second place in the north and homefield advantage in the first round of the state tournament May 3-4. The Rangers travel to Holmes Saturday and host East Mississippi on Tuesday to close division play.
Watch Saturday's doubleheader live thanks to Holmes at www.ihigh.com/nwccrangers.
