SENATOBIA - Behind two strong outings in the circle from Kaylei Peterson, Northwest rolled to a sweep against Northeast on Wednesday afternoon at the Senatobia Sports Park, winning by a pair of 10-7 and 13-10 finals.

Northwest continued its hot hitting in the doubleheader, combining for 24 hits in the two games. The Rangers have hammered out 10 hits or more in seven consecutive games, the longest such streak since 2010.

With the sweep, the Rangers improved their record to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the MACCC. Northeast fell to 10-8 on the season and 3-5 in conference competition.

Northwest will take on Meridian on Friday, March 12 at 12/2 P.M. at the Senatobia Sports Park. Live stats and broadcast coverage will be available for both games on nwccrangers.com/watch.


Game 1 - Northwest 10, Northeast 7

A five-run frame in the top of the fifth inning allowed Northeast to briefly take the lead, only for Northwest to respond with six runs over the next two innings in a 10-7 shootout against the Tigers.

Kaylei Peterson got things going for the Rangers after a scoreless first inning, as the sophomore from Clinton drove in Maddie Brower and Caylee Comer on a two-run single to right field in the bottom of the second.

Peterson hit the jackpot again in the fourth, scoring recent Delta State commit MyCala Helms on a double to left-center. Laila Armstrong followed with an RBI-single to short, scoring Peterson for a 4-0 lead.

Demi Lindsey's solo homer to right center got the Tigers going in the fifth, as two errors and a two-run double from Charly Clanton allowed Northeast to take a 5-4 lead.

Brower made sure the lead would be short-lived however, as her two-run homer to right field put Northwest back on top, 6-5, in the bottom of the fifth.

Peterson kept the Tigers quiet in the sixth with two strikeouts and a fly out to left and the Rangers took full advantage, scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning off a two-run single from Saige Koczka and a two-run homer from Kaitlyn Bednarek.

Northeast tried to spark a one-out rally in the seventh, as Clanton and Caroline Clark provided back-to-back homers for the Tigers, only for the final two batters to go down on a popup and swinging strikeout.

Peterson improved to 3-3 on the season and tied her career-high of seven strikeouts, allowing just two walks and six earned runs. Cassidy Duskin lasted six innings for the Tigers, allowing nine earned runs and five strikeouts.

Northwest finished with 11 hits, led by two apiece from Armstrong, Brower, Koczka and Peterson. Clanton and Hannah Milhorn led Northeast with four of the Tigers' 11 hits. 


Game 2 - Northwest 13, Northeast 10

Trailing 8-2 through three and a half innings, Northwest stormed back with a big fourth inning and six runs scattered across the next two frames to stun Northeast in a 13-10 decision.

Northeast got the bats going in the top of the first off a pair of two-run doubles from Milhorn and Lindsey, but the Tigers were shut down as Peterson entered the circle in relief for Koczka.

Despite a rough first inning for Koczka, the Southaven native quickly redeemed herself at the plate. Trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the third, Koczka teed off on a two-run homer to right center to bring Northwest within three runs.

Northeast responded with back-to-back homers from Clanton and Milhorn in the top of the fourth to stretch its lead to 8-2, but the big five-run bottom of the fourth brought the Rangers back within an 8-7 deficit.

Brower's solo homer to center field got things going in the inning and with two outs, the Rangers loaded the bases on three singles from Peterson, Oakley Laughter and Molly Beth Ferguson. That would set the stage for Koczka, who blasted a grand slam to right center for her fourth home run of the season.

Despite the big inning, Northeast continued to hit in the top of the fifth and the Tigers padded their lead to 10-7 with a pair of RBI-doubles from Harrison and Duskin.

The back-and-forth continued into the bottom of the fifth inning, as Comer launched a solo homer to left center and Peterson tied the game up with a two-run single to left field. 

After Peterson sent the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth, Northwest loaded the bases once more in the bottom frame and scored three runs off a fielder's choice to second and a two-run single from Helms, gaining a 13-10 lead.

Northwest had little trouble closing things out in the seventh, as a popup, swinging strikeout and a groundout to short ended the game with the Rangers on top.

Peterson (4-3) entered the circle in the first inning and pitched a full seven innings, striking out seven batters against five earned runs and no walks allowed. 

Northwest totaled 13 hits in the contest, led by a 3-for-4 effort from Koczka, which resulted in six RBIs. Peterson also finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

For Northeast, Clark was handed the loss in an inning of relief. Keegan Hubbard got the start for the Tigers and allowed nine earned runs in four innings of work.

Northeast also finished with 13 hits, led by three from Clanton and two apiece from Duskin, Harrison, Lindsey and Milhorn.