SENATOBIA - Northwest combined for 23 hits on the afternoon and totaled 10 or more hits for the ninth consecutive game, as the Rangers split with Meridian on Friday afternoon in a 9-1 win and a 10-5 loss in the finale.
Freshman
Caylee Comer combined for a 3-for-6 day at the plate, while
MyCala Helms went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs in Game 2.
Kaylei Peterson struck out three batters in the opener to earn her third win of the week and third straight win in the circle.
With the split, Northwest moved to 8-6 overall and 5-5 in the MACCC, while Meridian jumped to 5-14 on the season and 2-8 in the conference.
Game 1 - Northwest 9, Meridian 1 (5 inn.)
Northwest scored a run in every inning, highlighted by a pair of three-run efforts in the second and fourth, as the Rangers got the day started with a five-inning run-rule.
Tied at 1-1 entering the bottom of the second,
Saige Koczka got things going for the Rangers with a two-run single to left center.
Kaitlyn Bednarek then followed with a single to left to score Koczka and give Northwest a 4-1 advantage.
After Peterson's RBI-single in the third made it a 5-1 lead, Northwest broke away in the bottom of the fourth with one swing of the bat, as Peterson's three run double down the line in left field pushed the Rangers' advantage to a 8-1 margin.
Maddie Brower would seal the deal for the Rangers in the bottom of the fifth, as the freshman reached on a fielder's choice to the Meridian shortstop and allowed Bednarek to cross the plate and beat the throw home.
Northwest finished with 13 hits in the opener, led by three from Peterson and two apiece from Bednarek and Koczka. In all, nine players reached base with at least one hit.
Peterson (5-3) also tossed all five innings in the circle for the Rangers, allowing an earned run on three hits with three strikeouts.
Mackenzi Self was handed the loss for Meridian after allowing the Rangers' first run. She returned in relief during the fifth in place of Bailey McClellan, who surrendered seven earned runs in 3.2 innings of work.
Game 2 - Meridian 10, Northwest 5
A three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth pulled Northwest within two runs, but the Eagles swung the sticks early and often, earning three more runs in the seventh to manage the split.
Meridian dug a deep hole for the Rangers in the top of the first, as the Eagles earned four runs on five hits, highlighted by a leadoff solo homer from Briana Zapata.
Northwest cut into the deficit in the first as Helms' two-out bases-loaded single scored Bednarek, but Meridian shut things down on Comer's attempt to score and ended the short-lived rally.
Arionna Galloway pushed the Eagles' lead to 5-1 with her solo home run in the top of the third, but Helms responded in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer of her own, cutting the gap to 5-2.
After Meridian got a pair of runs back in the fifth, Northwest stormed back in the sixth with another homer from Helms and a two-run double to left center from Koczka, pulling back to a 7-5 deficit.
Meridian's big seventh inning would quiet any chance for another Northwest comeback however, as the Eagles got an RBI-double and a two-run homer to pull away for good.
Helms and Comer accounted for six of the Rangers' 10 hits in the loss, while Bednarek, Brower, Koczka and Laughter earned one apiece.
Koczka was handed the loss for Northwest after surrendering seven earned runs in 4.2 innings. Peterson tossed the final 2.1 innings, notching two strikeouts and allowing three earned runs.
Meridian hammered out 17 hits in the victory, led by four from Sydney Sizemore. Avery Byerley picked up the win for the Eagles with five runs allowed in 5.1 innings, while Self earned the save in 1.2 innings of relief.
