SENATOBIA – Northwest split a doubleheader with Arkansas Baptist on Wednesday night in its 2015 home-opener, falling 3-1 in Game 1 before bouncing back with a 10-4 win in the nightcap.

Northwest moved to 2-2 on the season while ABC moved to 3-1.

Marco Blanchard threw a four-hit gem in six innings of work for the Buffaloes in Game 1, striking out nine and walking just two on 99 pitches. ABC struck out 13 Ranger hitters overall.

ABC took advantage of two Ranger errors to plate all three of its runs in the second inning. Guy Halbert and Austin Allen both provided RBI-singles.

Northwest left 10 runners stranded in the loss, but finally broke through for a run in the eighth. With the bases loaded and one out, a strikeout and fly out left them full.

Landon McFadden scattered two hits and five strikeouts in five relief innings for Jonathan Lindsey (0-1).

Austin Allen had three hits for the Buffaloes, while Stuart Chick was 3-for-4 for Northwest.

Northwest plated five runs in the first inning of the nightcap, aided by two Buffaloes errors, and used back-to-back RBI-doubles by Dalton Dulin and Clay Casey. Hunter Wilson also had an RBI-single.

Sophomore James Clark blasted his and Northwest's first home run of the year in the third and Casey added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make it 7-1.

Sophomore J.R. Miller (1-0) was in cruise control on the mound, scattering five hits, no earned runs and tying a career-high with eight strikeouts over six innings. Freshman Ian Painter closed it out in the seventh.

Late doubles from Levert Jernigan Jr. and Casey in the sixth pushed the final tally to 10-4.

ABC added three runs in the seventh on RBI-singles by Allen, Keegan Floyd and Dontrell Brown.

Wilson finished 3-for-3 in his collegiate debut in addition to a pair of hits from Casey and LeeMarcus Boyd.

Northwest will continue an 8-game homestand on Saturday at noon against Southwestern Illinois College.