SENATOBIA - A stellar day at the plate for Peyton Mills served as one of the few highlights for No. 4 Northwest, as the Rangers fell to East Mississippi in a Wednesday sweep at Jim Miles Field.

Mills smashed three home runs on the day and finished with eight RBIs to lead the Rangers at the plate. Dylan Hale also made his season debut in Game 2 and hit a three-run shot to right field.

Northwest struggled on the mound in both games and walked 17 East Mississippi batters, including 12 in the nightcap.

Next up for Northwest is another home doubleheader against No. 11 Northeast on Saturday, February 6 at 1/4 P.M. Both games will be carried on nwccrangers.com/watch with Gary Darby on the call. 


Game 1 - East Mississippi 9, #4 Northwest 6

East Mississippi wasted little time getting on the board to start the doubleheader, as the Lions took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and eventually handed the Rangers their first loss of the season.

Reiley Tate, the Lions' second batter, got on base with a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Austin Beech then drove in Tate on an RBI-triple, followed quickly by an RBI-single to right from Rye McGlothin.

Mills would tie the game in the bottom of the first with a two-run shot to left center, his first home run of the day, but EMCC would get three runs back in the top of the fourth to pull ahead 5-2.

Northwest cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a solo homer from Mills, and later took a 6-5 lead after a three-run sixth inning, highlighted by RBI base hits from Mills and Hammer Franks.

Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived for the Rangers as EMCC got a pair of runs in the top of the seventh from Zack Griffith and Blayze Berry, pulling back ahead 7-6.

Northwest was unable to scrape across any runs over the final three innings and Griffith sent a parting shot in the form of a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, solidifying the 9-6 win for the Lions.

Mills and Puckett combined for six of the Rangers' seven hits, with Mills also chipping in four RBIs.

Beech, Berry and Al Dumas led East Mississippi with a trio of 2-for-5 performances at the plate, with Beech and Griffith churning out three RBIs combined.

Will Logsdon (0-1) was handed the loss for the Rangers, despite striking out four batters over three complete innings. Josh Hill started on the mound for Northwest and lasted four innings with three strikeouts against four walks and five earned runs.

Jonah Caskey picked up the win for East Mississippi in relief, while Blayze Berry closed out the final two innings and picked up the save for the Lions.


Game 2 - East Mississippi 17, #4 Northwest 12

Six Northwest errors and 12 walks ultimately doomed the Rangers in the nightcap, as East Mississippi scored 11 combined runs over the fifth and sixth innings in the Lions' 17-12 victory.

Much like the first game, EMCC lit up the Rangers early with a three-run first inning, highlighted by a pair of runs scored on an error and a failed pickoff attempt.

Northwest responded to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Mills' sac fly was followed by Hale's three-run homer to right field.

East Mississippi came out swinging once more in the top of the second inning, as another three-run inning propelled the Lions to a 6-4 advantage.

Northwest would battle back in the bottom of the second however, as Peyton Puckett's double through the left side allowed Noah Hattier to score from second base. Later, Mills hammered a three-run shot over the wall in left field to put the Rangers back on top, 8-6.

After two quiet innings from both teams, the Lions roared back with a six-run fifth inning, kickstarted by three straight walks. An error would allow one run to score, followed by a sac fly from Tae Lucious and a three-run homer from Griffith, pushing the Lions back ahead 12-8.

East Mississippi wasn't done yet though, as the Lions cranked out five runs in the sixth, thanks in part to RBI base hits from McGlothin and Ian Richard.

Trailing 17-8 entering the bottom of the sixth, Ty Leatherwood managed to tack on a Ranger run with his standup triple to right field. Northwest would then close the contest with a three-run rally in the seventh inning, but it wouldn't be enough to topple the Lions in the end.

Puckett and Mills led the Rangers at the plate with two hits apiece and six combined RBIs. Hale, Leatherwood, Peeko Townsend, Benton Williams and Garrett Riggs each finished with one hit.

East Mississippi finished with 10 hits in the nightcap, led by two apiece from Beech and Griffith.

Northwest cycled through six pitchers in Game 2, with Mac Sims (0-1) being credited with the loss in relief. Joel Wilkinson started the contest on the mound and struck out four batters in two innings, despite allowing six runs and two walks.

Latham Hill and Tyler Byrd also accounted for two strikeouts apiece in their Northwest debuts.

Jackson Siler finished out the last three innings for the Lions, earning the victory with five strikeouts and no earned runs allowed.