MERIDIAN – Northwest split its third straight doubleheader against an NJCAA Top 10 opponent on Saturday at Scaggs Field, falling 5-4 to Meridian in the opener on a walk-off double before rebounding with a 6-2 game two win.

No. 11 Northwest moved to 27-9 overall and 16-6 in the MACJC (2nd) while No. 10 Meridian is now 23-10 and 11-8 in conference action.

The Rangers picked up their fifth win over a nationally-ranked opponent this season, also defeating Gulf Coast, Hinds and Itawamba.

Northwest will close out a brutal, eight-game road trip on Wednesday at Mississippi Delta.

Game 1 – Meridian 5, Northwest 4

Northwest rallied from a 4-1 deficit with single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth to tie the game, but back-to-back doubles from Mack Pickering and Houston Parker helped the Eagles to a 5-4 walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth.  

The teams exchanged runs in the first on Tanner Booth's RBI-single and Kace Garner's RBI-double.

A two-run triple from Jean Luis Torres put the Eagles ahead 3-1 in the fourth and they would lead 4-1 after five.

Northwest began its comeback in the seventh on Tanner Leggett's RBI-double, used a wild pitch in the eighth to get to 4-3 and got a big break in the ninth on a strikeout and passed ball to tie the game at 4-4.

Parker Stinnett got a no-decision in 6.0 innings of work, striking out eight against five walks and allowing three runs. Trent Bunting was hit with the loss despite allowing just a single earned run. Braden Forsyth improved to 5-1 for Meridian in 1.1 relief frames.

Game 2 – Northwest 6, Meridian 2

The top of the Ranger lineup was a combined 8-for-15 with three RBIs and five runs scored and Dalton Fowler won his fourth straight start in a game two win for the split.

Scoreless into the third, Bradley Smith's RBI-single gave Northwest a 1-0 lead.

Ben Van Cleve's solo home run to lead off the fourth made it 2-0 Rangers before Keegan Westbrook's two-run blast tied the game at 2-2 after four.

A four-run fifth put Northwest back in front, 6-2, with all four runs coming with two outs. Leggett doubled for the third time of the day to score one, Hayden Leatherwood doubled and Hammer Franks added an RBI-single. 

Jackson Smith, who entered with two on and one out in the sixth, tossed 1.2 shutout innings to close it out for his team-leading fourth save of the year. Fowler improved to 6-1, scattering four hits, two runs and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Northwest out-hit Meridian 11-5 in the finale, with five Rangers finishing with multiple hits.