DECATUR – Northwest dropped its conference-opening games to East Central by 7-3 and 6-4 finals, a doubleheader that started last Thursday and was completed Monday evening at Clark Gay Field.
East Central improved to 14-6 overall and 2-0 in MACJC play while the Rangers dropped their sixth straight to fall to 7-6 and 0-2 in league play.
After falling 7-3 in the opening game of the doubleheader, Northwest made the 7-hour round trip trek back to Decatur on Monday to resume the rain-suspended game two which was scoreless in the bottom of the fourth.
(Game 1) Jarod Wright spotted the Warriors four runs in their half of the first but settled in and pitched a strong game into the seventh to give the Rangers a chance.
Still down just 4-0 in the sixth,
Ryan Skalnik's leadoff single got the Ranger offense going.
LeeMarcus Boyd,
Aaron Campbell and
Cody Cooper all followed with singles, scoring three runs to make it a 4-3 game after six.
After giving up a pair of leadoff singles in the seventh, Wright got a strikeout and Cooper picked off a runner at second to retire a pair. An intentional walk and hit-by-pitch chased Wright with the bases loaded, making way for
Jonathan Lindsey. Lindsey's first pitch was wild, scoring Reagan Warren, and Matthew Mitchell followed with a two-run double to left to stretch the lead to 7-3.
Northwest stranded runners at second and third in the eighth but went quietly in the ninth.
Peyton Cain (3-0) got the win in five innings for ECCC while Josh Carpenter tossed four scoreless innings and allowed only two hits to earn his first save of the year. Wright (2-1) scattered nine hits, six earned runs and five strikeouts in 6.2 innings to take the loss.
(Game 2) Scoreless in the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded as play resumed on Monday evening,
Austin Towles entered in relief of
Colt Smith and got a line drive to second to escape the jam.
Northwest proceeded to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead, using a leadoff hit-by-pitch to
Tanner Lloyd. Skalnik delivered an RBI-single two batters later and Campbell followed with a two-out, two-run double to right.
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Warriors immediately responded to tie the game at 3-3. The first three base runners reached safely off Towles and
J.R. Miller relieved him. A flyout, error and single plated two to tie it before a relay throw to third ended the frame.
ECCC chalked up three more in its half of the sixth to pull ahead 6-3, using three doubles in the inning that scored two and a third error of the day to score another.
Devin Orr started the inning in relief of Miller and was then relieved by Lindsey.
Northwest didn't go away quietly in the seventh, scoring a run off Cooper's RBI-double to make it 6-4 and getting the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs. Channing Wall got a strikeout to end things quickly, recording his third save of the year.
Campbell picked up four hits in the two games, followed by three each from Boyd and Skalnik. Boyd also extended his career-long reached base streak to 27 games.
Northwest will host Southwest Tennessee at 4 p.m. Tuesday in a single 9-inning game. Live stats will be available.
