FULTON – In a highly anticipated baseball doubleheader Tuesday night between two of the MACJC's and NJCAA's top clubs, No. 11 Northwest and No. 4 Itawamba split the twinbill in front of a packed house at Roy Cresap Field.
Northwest won the opener, 5-2, behind a gutsy outing from freshman
Trent Bunting and Itawamba took the nightcap, 6-3, behind a five-run first and some borderline calls that went against the Rangers.
The teams maintained their 1-2 positions in the league standings, with Itawamba improving to 29-6-1 overall, 14-4 in the MACJC (1st), and Northwest moving to 26-8 and 15-5 (2nd).
Game 1 – Northwest 5, Itawamba 2
Bunting dazzled in just his second career start, working around single runs in the third and fourth and finishing with eight strikeouts and no walks in six innings – both new career highs.
Northwest took its first lead, 2-1, in the top of the fourth on
Hayden Leatherwood's RBI-double and he'd come around to score on an error in right. ICC, however, tied the game in the bottom of the frame on Hayden Palmer's two-out, RBI-single.
Bunting and Justin Medlin hung zeroes the next three innings until the Rangers pushed back in front.
Brayland Skinner singled to lead off the eighth and scored on an error and
Tucker Richmond followed with a sac fly to right to make it 4-2 Northwest.
Colton Peel (2-0) came on to throw three shutout innings to close the game for Northwest, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
Ben Van Cleve's solo shot off the scoreboard in the ninth, his seventh home run of the year, capped the late-inning comeback. He and Skinner both finished 2-for-4.
Game 2 – Itawamba 6, Northwest 3
A five-run first for Itawamba on just two hits, highlighted by Jacob Hall's grand slam to left, lifted the Indians to a game two win and split.
Northwest clawed its way back the ensuing innings, plating two in the second and one in the fifth, to get within 5-3.
Hammer Franks' solo shot to right led off the second and
Peyton Mills would double and score. The inning ended abruptly, however, when Skinner was called out at home on a bang-bang play on Richmond's single to right to strand two more on base.
Northwest tried to rally again in the fifth, using a leadoff opposite field homer from Skinner. After Richmond walked to put the tying run at the plate in
Tanner Booth, another tough call went against the visitors to run them out of an inning. Booth was called for batter interference on a pitch he didn't even offer at when Richmond attempted to steal second.
ICC got a big insurance run in the sixth on a failed pickoff attempt at first that allowed a runner to score from second.
The game ended in the seventh with the potential tying run at the plate in Leatherwood before he struck out.
Jackson Smith was superb in relief of
Jake Tyrone, scattering two hits, two strikeouts and no earned run in five innings. Hunter Hughes (4-1) got the win and Jackson Lancaster picked up his second save of the year.
Northwest will travel to No. 10 Meridian on Saturday (was Friday) for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Scaggs Field.
