Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Northwest pounded out a combined 24 hits and outscored Lawson State 16-3 on Tuesday afternoon to sweep the Cougars in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Winners in eight straight, Northwest improved to 21-8 overall. Lawson State fell to 16-21.

Pitching by committee, eight Ranger arms combined to allow just three earned runs off 11 hits. Peter Barton and J.G. Lipscomb each picked up wins as scheduled starters.

(Game 1) Scoreless after two innings, Dulin's 4-for-4 effort got the Rangers going offensively and they would rally to score eight runs over the next four innings.

A three-run third was really all the Rangers would need, with Jamell Newson drawing a leadoff walk and coming around to score off LeeMarcus Boyd's RBI-groundout. Hunter Wilson followed with an RBI-single and James Clark also singled to score Wilson.

Leading 4-0, a three-run fifth put the game away, with Clark adding another RBI-single and Stephen Sexton and Newson following with RBIs off a single and sac fly. 

Lawson State got two back in the fifth on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and groundout. The Cougars added a final run in the bottom of the seventh on Dallas Oliver's RBI-single to make the final 8-3.

Northwest out-hit Lawson 12-6, led by Wilson, Dulin and Clark who were a combined 8-for-12.

(Game 2) Stuart Chick and Luke Latham led a 12-hit attack in the nightcap by going 3-for-4 at the plate.

Chick singled, advanced to second on an error, stole third and scored off Clark's groundout for an early 1-0 lead.

Sexton then dialed up a two-run bomb to right-center in the second, his fourth of the year, to make it 3-0 before a three-run third stretched the margin to 6-0. Clay Casey tripled to right-center and Latham also added an RBI-groundout.

Chick and Cody Cooper executed a double steal to plate the seventh run and Cooper's RBI-single to left in the seventh made the final tally 8-0 in favor of the visiting Rangers.

With two stolen bases in the opening game and one in the nightcap, Dulin tied James Lear's single-season stolen base record at 35 with a dozen regular season games remaining.

Northwest travels to Perkinston on Thursday for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Mississippi Gulf Coast.