SENATOBIA – Northwest led for all but one inning, used hits from 10 different Rangers and got quality starts from both starting pitchers in rolling to a doubleheader sweep over Hinds by 11-6 and 5-2 finals on Saturday at Jim Miles Field.
Northwest improved to 26-10 overall and 16-6 in the MACJC, while Hinds fell to 21-15 and 7-13 in conference play. The Rangers have won five of the last six in the series.
Winners in seven straight and 14 of 16, Northwest will close out a 10-game homestand on Saturday, April 28 against Meridian.
Game 1 – Northwest 11, Hinds 6
Northwest led 10-1 after five innings and was a base hit away from ending it in run-rule fashion before a late Hinds rally made the final score look a lot closer than it was.
Staton Todd's RBI-single in the first gave the Eagles their lone lead of the game, but it was short-lived.
Brant Blaylock's RBI-double knotted the game and he'd score two batters later on a wild pitch to make it 2-1 after one.
Hunter White's bases-clearing double in the third capped a five-run frame, that was aided by three Eagle errors, and Northwest led 7-1 after three.
Hayden Leatherwood's rare inside-the-park home run to center to leadoff the fifth was followed up by White's RBI-triple as the lead grew to 10-1.
Hinds rallied in the sixth with two outs, using Carson Klepzig's RBI-single and a three-run home run from Luke Clement that snuck over the fence in right by a mere feet, to pull within 10-5.
Leatherwood homered again to leadoff the seventh, his 10th of the year, to make it 11-5 Rangers.
Drew Hurst, who threw the final four innings to earn his second career save, worked around a hit and an error in the ninth to close things out. He ended the game with a strikeout, his fifth of the day.
Kyle Moore scattered two runs on four hits in five innings of work to improve to 3-1. Josh Banes allowed 10 runs in 4.2 frames to take the loss.
Game 2 – Northwest 5, Hinds 2
Nathan Harrison allowed two runs in the first but stranded the bases loaded as he rallied to hang five straight zeroes to shut down the Eagles in a game two victory.
A four-run bottom of the second was all the run support he'd need. Back-to-back singles by
Ben Van Cleve and
Will Brooks made way for McMinn's two-run triple to tie the game.
Tanner Booth and
Justin Milam added RBI-hits to make it 4-2.
Tanner Leggett doubled to leadoff the third, advanced to third on Blaylock's single and scored on an error to make it 5-2.
Neither team really threatened after that as both bullpens allowed a combined two hits the final four innings.
Booth led seven different Rangers with a hit with a 2-for-3 game.
