MILLINGTON, Tenn. –
Ian Hawkins tossed five solid innings to help Northwest to an 8-1 win in the opener and
Hayden Leatherwood was 3-for-3 with five RBIs to power the Rangers to a 12-2 nightcap victory as the Rangers swept Southwest Tennessee on Wednesday at USA Stadium.
Northwest extended its winning streak to four games to improve to 8-4 overall, while Southwest fell to 4-13.
The Rangers return to Jim Miles Field on Friday, March 9 and will host Mississippi Delta (2 p.m.) and Coahoma (5 p.m.) in a three-way. The Trojans and Tigers will face each other at 11 a.m. earlier in the day.
Game 1 – Northwest 8, Southwest 1
Hawkins won his third straight start for the Rangers to open the season, striking out a career-high nine Saluqis and allowing just three hits and one run in five innings.
Scoreless after two innings, Northwest broke the game open with a five-run third.
Jake McPhail singled and scored on an error to plate the first run and the Rangers scored another on an error and passed ball to make it 3-0. Leatherwood's two-run homer capped the big inning as Northwest led 5-0.
Southwest's lone run came on Jacob Nobles' RBI-single in the fifth.
Leatherwood added a sac fly in the seventh to score
Brooks Boolos after a leadoff double and
Brant Blaylock singled and scored to make the final 8-1.
Drew Hurst tossed two shutout innings in relief to close the win for Hawkins. Adrian Comas (0-2) was hit with the loss after allowing five runs (all unearned) in 2.2 innings of work.
Northwest out-hit Southwest 6-3 and took advantage of four Saluqi errors.
Game 2 – Northwest 12, Southwest 2 (5 inn.)
Noah Day picked up his first collegiate win on the mound and Leatherwood had two doubles, a triple and five RBIs as Northwest finished the sweep of Southwest in a five inning run-rule win in the nightcap.
What was a 3-2 Ranger lead after three escalated quickly to a 10-2 lead thanks to a seven-run fourth. Northwest had five hits in the frame, highlighted by
Justin Milam's two-run single and Leatherwood's bases-clearing triple.
Bradley Smith singled to score
Tanner Leggett and Milam in the fifth to make it 12-2 and
Daniel Shelton would toss two shutout frames with four strikeouts to close out the win.
Eight different Rangers combined for 10 hits. Leatherwood was 3-for-3 and Smith and Milam added two RBIs each.