CLARKSDALE - Northwest hammered out 23 hits on the afternoon as the fourth-ranked Rangers picked up a road sweep at Coahoma on Monday.
Latham Hill and
Joel Wilkinson picked up their first victories of the season on the mound, with Hill's appearance coming in relief in Game 1.
Northwest improved to 5-3 on the season as Coahoma fell to 0-4. The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday, February 13 against Holmes at Jim Miles Field in a 1/4 P.M. twinbill.
Game 1 - #4 Northwest 11, Coahoma 5
For the third time this season, Northwest finished with 10 or more hits in a game, as the Rangers smashed 15 hits in an 11-5 victory in Game 1.
Kelton Hall's RBI-single up the middle put the Rangers on the board early in the first inning. Northwest would then scatter three runs in the second, highlighted by a two-run homer from
Garrett Riggs, and stretch its lead to 4-0.
Although the Tigers would pull back within two after scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, Northwest quickly silenced Coahoma's momentum with a five-run fourth inning that included RBI base hits from Hall and
Peyton Mills.
A wild pitch and a sac fly allowed the Tigers to gain two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Rangers would respond yet again in the sixth with a two-run homer from Mills, his sixth home run of the season.
Anyelo Sanchez' solo homer in the bottom of the seventh was the lone blemish for Ranger reliever
Judah Buckner, as the Starkville native kept the Tigers in check to close out the contest.
Noah Hattier led the Rangers with three hits, while Hall, Mills,
Peyton Puckett and
Ty Leatherwood accounted for two hits apiece.
Latham Hill improved to 1-0 in his third relief appearance of the season, striking out one batter despite allowing two earned runs.
Josh Hill started the contest and struck out two batters in three innings of work, but did not meet the innings criteria for the win.
Coahoma was led at the plate by a 3-for-4 output from Sanchez. Josiah Rivera also finished with a pair of hits.
Caleb Smith was handed the loss for Coahoma after allowing five earned runs in 3.1 innings.
#4 Northwest 12, Coahoma 2 (6 inn.)
A solid pitching performance propeled the Rangers to a six-inning run-rule victory in Game 2, solidfying the sweep against Coahoma.
Wilkinson (1-0) earned the win for Northwest after striking out five batters in four innings of work.
Colton Presley also closed out the final two innings in relief and allowed no earned runs while striking out two Tiger batters.
Dylan Hale got the scoring going for Northwest with a two-run double to right center in the top of the first.
Hammer Franks then followed with a single up the middle to make it a 3-0 Ranger lead.
Zarin Cole would quickly cut the lead down to one in the bottom of the first, as his two-run double to right trimmed Coahoma's deficit to 3-2.
From there, Wilkinson silenced the Tigers with three scoreless frames and just two hits. Meanwhile, the Northwest bats broke the scoring silence in the top of the fifth, as
Wesley Lester's double to right and a sac fly from
Peeko Townsend made it a 5-2 Ranger lead.
Coahoma had little luck stopping the Rangers in the top of the sixth, as Northwest scored six of its seven runs off a series of walks, passed balls and wild pitches. The lone scoring hit came from Townsend's bases loaded single to third base, which sent in Mills to score from third.
With nothing left in the Tigers' bats in the bottom of the sixth, Presley sealed the deal with a pair of strikeouts and a grounder to short.
Northwest posted eight hits in the nightcap, led by two from Hale. For Coahoma, it was Sanchez who once again led the way with two of the Tigers' five hits.
Jake Carr was handed the loss for Coahoma after allowing two earned runs in the first three innings. Braden Quisenberry allowed nine runs in relief, including six earned runs.
With the win, Northwest improved to 4-0 on the season against Coahoma.
