SENATOBIA – Sophomore
Dakota Dailey hit his first collegiate home run and Northwest had four doubles to beat Columbia State 6-4 in the opener before the Chargers bounced back with a 10-4 victory to split a Friday afternoon doubleheader on opening day.
It's the first of six straight doubleheaders at Jim Miles Field to open the season. Weather permitting, the Rangers will host Southwest Tennessee on Tues., Feb. 13 at 2 p.m.
Game 1 – Northwest 6, Columbia State 4
Tied at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth, a leadoff double by
Will Brooks, one of three extra-base hits in the inning, helped start a three-run rally to give the Rangers a 6-3 cushion.
Jake McPhail doubled to score Brooks and Dailey's two-run blast to left scored McPhail a batter later.
Nathan Harrison and
Drew Hurst kept the Chargers off the scoreboard in the fifth and six, holding them hitless.
Columbia State (1-2-1) loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and scored a run off an Elliot Curtis single off closer
Reed Harding before the freshman was able to get back-to-back strikeouts to close out his first collegiate save.
Kyle Moore (1-0) went four innings, scattering four hits, three runs (one earned) and two walks for the win.
Dailey had two of the Rangers' six hits, with
Ben Van Cleve adding a two-run double. The Chargers were held to five hits in the opener.
Game 2 – Columbia State 10, Northwest 4
Northwest was unable to overcome eight walks, a hit batter and two costly errors as the Chargers pulled away in the nightcap.
Columbia State led 3-0 in the top of the first thanks to two Ranger errors before Northwest answered with a pair on a passed ball and balk to make it 3-2.
Scoreless in the second, the Chargers extended their lead to 5-2 in the third on Alex Carignan's two-run home run. Van Cleve responded with a solo home run for Northwest in the bottom half to make it 5-3, but that's as close as the Rangers would get.
Three more runs in the fifth, aided by two walks, a hit-by-pitch and wild pitch, made it 8-3 after five.
Baron Davies plated the Ranger's final run in the sixth, scoring
Hunter White after a leadoff double.
Hayden Locum put the finishing touches on Northwest with a solo blast in the seventh to make the final 10-4.
Both teams finished with 10 hits in the nightcap, with
Tanner Leggett going 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot in his Ranger debut. Davies added two hits.
Seven different Chargers had at least one hit and seven different pitchers saw the mound for one inning in the victory for Columbia State. Nate Richardson was credited with the win.
Harrison Sandridge (0-1) allowed four hits, five runs (three earned), struck out five and walked three in the loss.
