SENATOBIA – Behind a pair of home runs from freshman Maddie Brower and a pair of strong outings in the circle from sophomore
Kaylei Peterson and freshman Meagan Allen, Northwest earned a pair of victories against Blue Mountain College and Arkansas State on Saturday.
Northwest is slated to host Holmes on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1/3 p.m. before closing out the fall season with back-to-back dates at Arkansas State on Saturday, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24.
Game 1 – Northwest 15, Blue Mountain 3 (5 inn.)
Although Blue Mountain struck first with a run in the opening inning, Northwest responded in a big way by scoring 13 runs in the bottom of the first inning to crush the visiting Lady Toppers 15-3.
Sophomore
Saige Koczka woke up the bats with a double to center that would later set up an RBI-single from freshman Caylee Comer, tying the contest at 1-1.
Brower and sophomore MyCala Helms kept the momentum going with a pair of back-to-back two-run doubles, giving Northwest a solid 5-1 advantage.
Northwest would bat around in the first inning, as Koczka came back up with an RBI-double, followed by freshman Laila Armstrong scoring on a fielder's choice, extending the score to a 9-1 margin.
Brower capped the inning off with a bang, hammering a grand slam to left field and pushing the Rangers' lead to an insurmountable 13-1 margin.
Blue Mountain responded with a run in the top of the third but Northwest countered with two more runs in the bottom of the frame, thanks to an RBI-triple from Molly Harris and a fielder's choice that scored
Alley Reed and stretched the lead to 15-2.
Northwest surrendered a run in the top of the fifth but it did little to diminish the accomplishments of the first three innings, as the Rangers took the 15-3 triumph.
In all, the Rangers smashed out 14 hits against four from the Lady Toppers. Koczka led all players with three hits, followed by a pair of hits and six RBIs from Brower. Comer also raked in two RBIs.
Peterson lasted four innings and struck out three batters before Koczka finished things off with a strikeout and a full inning of work.
Game 2 – Northwest 9, Arkansas State 4 (6 inn.)
Northwest scored a run in every inning but the fourth and jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three complete, as the Rangers posted a 9-4 victory against Arkansas State.
Leading 1-0 entering the second inning, sophomore
Oakley Laughter delivered another Northwest run off a sac fly RBI to center. Brower then responded with a two-run shot in the third, her second homer of the day, giving the Rangers a 4-0 lead.
Arkansas State got on the board in the fourth but the Rangers added three more runs in the fifth, highlighted by Reed's RBI-double, stretching the lead to 7-1.
Arkansas State pulled within 7-4 after a big sixth inning but Northwest issued a response once again, delivering a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to push the score to its final mark of 9-4.
Northwest pounded out 12 hits in the finale, led by two apiece from Brower and Kaitlyn Bednarek. Allen struck out six batters in her unofficial debut.
