Allison Williams
Allison Williams was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a walk in the split at East Central.
6
Winner Northwest NWCCSB 11-8, 5-2 MACJC
3
East Central ECCCSB 21-4, 6-3 MACJC
Winner
Northwest NWCCSB
11-8, 5-2 MACJC
6
Final
3
East Central ECCCSB
21-4, 6-3 MACJC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Northwest NWCCSB 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 6 9 0
East Central ECCCSB 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 9 0

W: Smith, Harley (4-4) L: Kaitlyn Oswalt (13-2)

2
Northwest NWCCSB 11-9, 5-3 MACJC
6
Winner East Central ECCCSB 22-4, 7-3 MACJC
Northwest NWCCSB
11-9, 5-3 MACJC
2
Final
6
East Central ECCCSB
22-4, 7-3 MACJC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Northwest NWCCSB 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 10 1
East Central ECCCSB 0 6 0 0 0 0 X 6 5 2

W: Makenzie Rousseau (9-1) L: Carver, Sallie Rose (0-1)

Game Recap: Softball | | by Kevin Maloney

Rangers Earn Road Split at 12th-ranked East Central

DECATUR – Facing its third consecutive nationally-ranked opponent in No. 12 East Central on Sunday, Northwest picked up a 6-3 upset win in the opener before dropping a 6-2 decision to split the doubleheader.

Northwest moved to 11-9 overall and 5-3 in the MACJC while East Central moved to 22-4 and 7-3 in conference play.

Seven different Rangers combined for nine hits and Harley Smith kept the Lady Warriors off balance at the plate as Northwest led from start-to-finish to stun ECCC in the opener.

Kailey Walker led off the game with a double, was sacrificed to third by Ally Judkins and came around to score on a wild pitch to give the Rangers the early 1-0 lead. 

Northwest extended its lead to 3-0 with single runs in the third and fourth before Tori Luke's RBI-single and Allison Williams' RBI-bunt single made it 5-0 in the fifth.

ECCC didn't go away quietly, scoring three unanswered in the fifth and sixth to pull within 5-3. Latesia Davis' two-out, two-run triple provided the big hit for the Lady Warriors. 

Northwest got a big insurance run in the seventh, once again started by Walker in the leadoff spot. Walker singled, stole second, was sacrificed to third and scored on Sallie Rose Carver's sac fly to make it 6-3.

Smith then worked around a double in the bottom half and got a pair of groundouts and a flyout to end the game. In five innings of relief for Luke, Smith scattered seven hits, three runs, a walk and a strikeout to improve to 4-4 on the season.

Both teams finished with nine hits in the opener. The top of the Ranger lineup (Walker-Judkins-Carver) finished 5-for-9 with four runs scored and two RBIs to lead Northwest to its third win over a ranked opponent this year.

Kaitlyn Oswalt suffered just her second loss (13-2) of the season for ECCC, scattering nine hits, six runs, two strikeouts and three walks.

A six-run second inning was all the Lady Warriors needed in the finale, with ECCC sending 11 batters to the plate and using RBI-singles from Davis, Brittney McCray and Mackenzie Johnson. Five of the six runs in the frame were unearned after an infield error.

Northwest led 1-0 in the first after Judkins singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored off an error, but managed only another single run in the third on Sarah Taylor's infield single.

Smith had another solid relief effort in the circle to keep the Rangers in striking distance, allowing only one hit while striking out three the final four innings. Carver made her collegiate debut starting the game and lasted 1.1 innings in the loss after allowing two hits and one earned run.

Northwest out-hit ECCC 10-5 in defeat, with Judkins, Luke and Williams picking up two hits apiece.

Makenzie Rousseau improved to 9-1 for the Lady Warriors, scattering 10 hits and one earned run in a complete game.

Northwest will face its fourth straight ranked opponent on Wednesday, March 22 playing host to 11th-ranked Itawamba.