Molly Harris
Lee Adams / ICCImages.com
Molly Harris provided Northwest with its only run in a 4-1 loss to No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast in Wednesday's MACCC Tournament opener.
1
Northwest NWCCW 18-15
4
Winner Gulf Coast MGCCCW 29-10
Northwest NWCCW
18-15
1
Final
4
Gulf Coast MGCCCW
29-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Northwest NWCCW 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 1
Gulf Coast MGCCCW 1 0 3 0 0 0 X 4 4 1

W: Emaleigh Coates (4-0) L: Allen, Meagan (3-2)

Game Recap: Softball | | Brian Lentz

Rangers Fall to No. 3 Gulf Coast; Faces Elimination Against Northeast

FULTON - A complete game performance from Mississippi Gulf Coast pitcher Emaleigh Coates made the ultimate difference in Wednesday's MACCC Tournament opener, as Northwest fell to the third-ranked Lady Bulldogs by a 4-1 final.

With the loss, Northwest dropped to 18-15 on the season, as the Lady Bulldogs improved to 29-10 overall.

MGCCC took advantage of a leadoff walk to Caroline Moore in the first inning and a pair of passed balls would later allow Moore to score, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.

MGCCC provided the most costly damage in the third inning, as a bases-clearing double from Whitley Tanner made it a 4-0 deficit for the Rangers.

Northwest turned the tide a bit in the bottom of the fifth, as Kaylei Peterson entered the circle in relief of Meagan Allen. With one out and two runners on for the Lady Bulldogs, a sac bunt moved the runners to scoring position, only for Peterson to deny Tanner on a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

Molly Harris kept her hot hitting going into the top of the sixth, as the Magnolia Heights alumnus hammered a deep shot to center for her sixth home run of the season. Harris' homer would prove to be the only Northwest run however, as Coates navigated through the rest of the sixth and the top of the seventh, holding on for the MGCCC victory.

Northwest outhit Mississippi Gulf Coast 7-4 in the loss, with Saige Koczka finishing 3-for-4. Harris went 2-for-3, while MyCala Helms and Oakley Laughter provided one hit apiece.

Rakeya Travis led the Lady Bulldogs with a pair of hits, followed by one each from Tanner and Alexis Laughlin.

Allen (3-2) issued eight walks over 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs. Peterson's relief effort lasted 1.2 innings with two strikeouts, one hit and no walks.

Coates improved to 4-0 for Mississippi Gulf Coast and struck out five Northwest batters, issuing three walks.

Northwest will now have to fight its way through the loser's bracket for the remainder of the tournament. First up for the Rangers is an elimination contest against Northeast at noon on Thursday, following the Lady Tigers' 9-0 run-rule loss to Jones College.

Tomorrow's game will be carried live on letsgoicctv.com/red, along with every tournament contest. Live stats will originate from Northeast, with a link to released prior to first pitch.