SENATOBIA – Northwest combined to score 18 runs off 18 hits, led by sophomores
Stuart Chick and
Dalton Dulin who each went 4-for-7, in a sweep of Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) Saturday afternoon as part of the Flag City Classic.
Northwest extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 4-2 overall while SWIC fell to 1-3 on the young season.
SWIC took a 4-0 lead in the opening game of the day, scoring a run in the second off two Ranger errors and plating three in the third off RBI-singles from Adam Bauer and Dan Holst and a sac fly by Jake Daily.
Northwest was able to get a run back in its half of the third thanks to Dulin's sac fly, but was hoping for a little more after loading the bases with no outs.
A quick 1-2-3 inning for
Austin Towles seemed to give Northwest a little momentum heading into the fourth, and the offense did not disappoint. The Rangers plated seven runs off six hits and an error, all started by
Stephen Sexton's solo home run to left-center, to turn a three-run deficit into an 8-4 lead.
Jamell Newson capped a 2-for-3 game with his third RBI in the fifth, giving the Rangers a 9-4 victory.
Towles earned his first career victory in six innings of work, scattering eight hits, four runs (three earned) and three strikeouts.
Koby Busby came on to throw a scoreless seventh.
Northwest led 2-0 in the finale after two innings, using an RBI-single from
Luke Latham, who then stole second and scored a batter later on a throwing error.
SWIC rallied to tie it in the third and then took a 6-2 lead in the fourth, benefiting from three Ranger errors. Two sacrifice bunts turned into three base errors and the Blue Storm capitalized with Holst's sac fly before
Colin Liles came on in relief to stop the bleeding.
Liles (1-0) tossed 2.1 innings of relief, allowing one run off two hits and striking out a career-high five to keep Northwest within striking distance.
Northwest got a single run back in the bottom of the fourth on
Hunter Wilson's RBI-groundout, and after a quick 1-2-3 inning on defense, scored three in the fifth to knot the game at 6-6.
J.G. Lipscomb led off the frame with a single and came around to score on Chick's RBI-single. Northwest then tied the game on back-to-back free passes by way of a
James Clark hit-by-pitch and Wilson walk.
SWIC bounced right back, however, to regain the lead at 7-6, using a two-out RBI-single up the middle by Cody Massey.
Northwest was able to rally for three runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the sixth to put the game away. Dulin's RBI-single through the right side tied the game for a third time before a throwing error by the SWIC third baseman allowed both Dulin and Chick to score the winning runs.
Ian Painter picked up his first collegiate save, tossing a scoreless seventh with a strikeout.
Northwest will continue an 8-game homestand on Friday, Feb. 20, welcoming Lake Land and John Wood to Jim Miles field for single games at 3 and 6 p.m. The Rangers will close the weekend with a doubleheader against John Wood on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.
