SENATOBIA – Using the pitching efforts of Lacey Hill and Chloe Thaggard, the No. 3-ranked East Central Lady Warriors swept Northwest 11-3 and 6-2 Tuesday afternoon at Ranger Field.

East Central improved to 30-5 overall and 14-4 in the MACJC while the Rangers fell to 14-10 and 8-8 in conference play.

(Game 1) An early 1-0 lead after one inning of play quickly turned into 10 runs over the next two innings, as East Central cruised to the 11-3 five-inning victory.

Mahalia Gibson was responsible for the first three Lady Warrior runs, thanks to an RBI-single in the first inning and a two-run RBI-double in the second. A bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a two-run RBI-double from Courtney Moore added four more East Central runs, expanding the deficit to 6-0.

After ECCC added four runs in the third inning, Northwest responded with a mini-rally of its own in the fifth. Ashton Needham got the scoring burst started with an RBI-double into left-center and Allison Williams followed with an RBI-single to trim the lead down to 11-2. Kailey Walker was able to add another run on an RBI-groundout but that was as close as the Rangers would come in Game 1.

Tori Luke lasted just two innings, allowing seven runs off six hits. After a brief appearance from Avery McCullough, Needham threw 2.2 innings of relief allowing no runs and no hits while striking out four ECCC batters. 

Gibson, Caitlyn Aldous and Elizabeth Frey had two hits apiece for East Central.

(Game 2) East Central broke a scoreless tie with a four-run third inning and added two more in the fifth to take the 6-2 win.

An RBI-double from Elizabeth Frey put the Lady Warriors on the board in the top of the third. ECCC added three more in the inning with a bunt, an error and an RBI-double to take a 4-0 lead.

Heath Griffith's two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth drove in Hailee Kolwyck and scored the lone runs for Northwest.

Needham was credited with the loss for Northwest and allowed four runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work. Kolwyck pitched the remaining 4.2 innings and gave up two runs on three hits while striking out three ECCC batters.

Chloe Thaggard captured the win for the Lady Warriors and improved her record to 16-1, giving up two runs on seven hits while recording six strikeouts.

Northwest will return to action on Sunday, April 3 at noon at 2nd-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast.