FULTON – Despite taking an early 4-0 lead in Wednesday's Region 23 Tournament opener, No. 9 Northwest watched top-ranked LSU Eunice slowly chip away before a five-run fifth inning allowed the Bengals to go up for good in the Rangers' 8-6 loss.

Northwest dropped to 33-13 on the season with the loss, while the Bengals improved to 49-6. The Rangers will try and avoid elimination on Thursday against No. 6 Pearl River at 3:30 p.m.

Reigning MACJC and NJCAA Player of the Week Ben Van Cleve stayed hot in his first at-bat of the contest, teeing off on a leadoff double in the second inning that was followed by a Kelton Hall single. Those two hits were immediately followed by Peyton Mills' two-run double down the left field line, as the Rangers struck first with a 2-0 lead.

Hammer Franks would keep the momentum going with his two-run opposite field homer before a swinging strikeout would end the frame with five Ranger hits and a 4-0 advantage.

Back-to-back errors, a walk and a hit-by-pitch would quickly put the Rangers in trouble with the bases loaded in the bottom of third, but aside from a sac fly to center from Tristan Welch, Carson Stinnett and Northwest would escape with minimal damage and a 4-1 lead.

LSU Eunice continued to knock at the door with a run in the fourth, although Hayden Leatherwood's solo bomb in the top of the fifth would widen the gap a little at 5-2.

That gap quickly shrunk in the bottom of the fifth, as a walk and an error put two Bengal runners in scoring position. That would set up an RBI-single from Nick Bellina and later, a grand slam from Austin Kirkpatrick, allowing LSU Eunice to take a 7-5 lead.

Bradley Smith kept the Ranger bats fighting with his RBI-double in the top of the eighth, only to see the Bengals get the run back in the bottom half of the frame off Evan Keller's RBI-bunt single to third.

Dane Dixon remained unbeaten (13-0) for LSU Eunice, compiling 12 strikeouts over 6.1 innings, as Landon Clifton collected his seventh save. 

Trent Bunting (4-3) was billed with the loss in relief for Northwest, while Stinnett struck out six and surrendered three walks and an earned run in 4.1 innings of work.

Northwest finished with 11 hits on the day, led by a career-high 4-for-4 day from Franks.