SENATOBIA – Northwest picked up an important conference sweep on Tuesday afternoon over rival Northeast, using a complete-game five-hitter from
Hailee Kolwyck to win the opener, 3-1, and a walk-off single from
Erin Claire Stegall to take a 6-5 win in the nightcap.
Northwest improved to 16-12 overall and 10-10 in MACJC play, currently occupying the eighth and final playoff spot with eight games remaining. Northeast dropped to 12-23 overall and 5-15 in the conference.
(Game 1) Hailee Kolwyck scattered five hits and allowed just one run on a career-high 125 pitches to carry Northwest to a 3-1 win in the opener.
Scoreless through three,
Kat Holley's pinch-hit, two-run single to left gave Northwest a 2-0 lead after four.
Northeast cut the lead in half in the fifth on Madison Davis' RBI-groundout but Northwest immediately responded with a single run of its own in the bottom half on
Heath Griffith's RBI-single.
Kolwyck allowed two hits the final two innings to close out the win to improve to 4-4 in the circle.
Sallie Rose Carver was 2-for-3 with a run scored in the leadoff spot as Northwest out-hit Northeast 7-5.
(Game 2) Northwest was cruising behind the arm of
Ashton Needham into the fifth inning before a five-run frame for Northeast knocked the Rangers back on their heels. Northwest was able to rally to tie the game in the bottom half and then used Stegall's walk-off in the seventh for the 6-5 win.
Northeast, trailing 1-0 entering the fifth, plated five runs off five hits and took advantage of three costly Ranger errors to take a 5-1 lead. Brittany Taylor's RBI-triple highlighted the big inning that finally ended on a groundout after
Tori Luke entered in relief.
The Rangers came firing right back in the bottom half, however, to tie the game. Griffith's two-run double to right-center cut the deficit to 5-3 before Stegall's RBI-double and Kolwyck's RBI-single knotted things up at 5-5.
Luke retired the final six Lady Tigers in order to setup the walk-off winner in the bottom of the seventh.
Kailey Walker singled to leadoff the inning and was sacrificed by Griffith to second before Stegall's hard-hit ball to short bounced off the fielder's glove and into the outfield, allowing Walker to score the winning run.
Luke did not allow a hit in her 2.2 innings of relief, improving to 8-5 on the year.
Northwest racked up 10 hits in the finale, led by Walker's 3-for-3 outing and Stegall's 3-for-4 game with two RBIs.
Northwest will host Southwest Mississippi on Friday at 2 p.m. with sophomore festivities taking place prior to first pitch.
