SENATOBIA - Although Northwest was shutout in the nightcap against Mississippi Gulf Coast, sophomore pitcher
Colton Presley provided the highlight of the day, striking out a career-best 13 batters in a 3-1 complete-game victory against the Bulldogs in Game 1.
Presley allowed only one walk and an earned run in the win, with the Bulldogs' lone run coming off a solo homer in the fifth inning. The Hernando native surpassed his previous career-best of 10 strikeouts, which was set in last year's regular season finale at Southwest Mississippi.
At the plate,
Ryan Lee led the Rangers with a 2-for-4 effort that included a double and two RBIs.
Alan Kivett also went 2-for-3 at the plate in Game 1, helping Northwest to a total of seven hits in the contest.
With the split, Northwest moved to 2-4 in the MACCC and 12-10 on the season. Mississippi Gulf Coast evened its conference record to 3-3 while moving to 8-13 overall.
Northwest will continue its homestand on Wednesday, March 23 against No. 19 East Mississippi and on Saturday, March 26 against seventh-ranked Meridian. Both doubleheaders will be carried on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) and Facebook Live.
Game 1 - Northwest 3, Mississippi Gulf Coast 1
Although Mississippi Gulf Coast pounded out nine hits in the opener, the Bulldogs only picked up one run to show for it as Presley's dominant performance lifted Northwest to the Game 1 victory.
Lee gave the Rangers the 1-0 lead with a double to left center in the bottom of the first, scoring Kivett from second. Northwest responded with two more runs in the home half of the third inning, thanks to an RBI-single from Lee and another from
Caleb Hobson.
Although Northwest failed to add to its lead over the next six innings, Presley did his job on the mound, limiting the Bulldogs throughout the contest. His lone blemish came in the fifth inning, as Kade Carpenter got his team on the board with a solo homer to right field.
To his credit, Bulldogs' starter Matthew DeLano tossed a solid six innings despite allowing the three early Northwest runs. DeLano struck out eight batters against one walk during his six frames and reliever Jesse Johnson struck out four over the final two innings.
Presley improved to 2-0 on the mound with his complete game, while DeLano fell to 1-3 after receiving the loss. MGCCC was led at the plate by Brendan McCauley, who finished 3-for-4.
Game 2 - Mississippi Gulf Coast 5, Northwest 0
Two runs in the first inning and two more in the second helped Mississippi Gulf Coast build a solid 4-0 lead and Bulldogs' pitcher Luke Reed went the distance in a 5-0 loss for Northwest in the nightcap.
Reed improved to 4-3 on the mound for the Bulldogs, striking out eight Northwest batters against three walks and just four hits allowed.
After delivering two quick outs in the first inning, Rangers' starter
Brayden Sanders ran into some trouble after issuing a walk to Alec Hardy. A hit-by-pitch then gave way to back-to-back singles from Johnson and Sean Smith, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.
Hobson delivered a leadoff single in the home half of the first and the Rangers threatened with a walk, but Reed shut down Northwest and hung a zero on the board to keep his team ahead.
More trouble arose for Northwest in the top of the second as a pair of bases loaded walks allowed the Bulldogs to push their lead to 4-0. The Rangers then brought in C.J. Lofton from the bullpen to stop the bleeding, and the freshman lasted the next 1.1 innings with one strikeout and no runs allowed.
Despite strong relief outings from Lofton,
Josh Hill and
John Luke Marlin, the Rangers were unable to string hits together at the plate, as Reed kept Northwest off the scoreboard. The Bulldogs would tack on their final run in the sixth, thanks to a single through the left side from McCauley.
Sanders fell to 0-2 on the season with the loss, striking out a pair of batters against three walks and four runs given up. Hill, Lofton and Marlin combined for seven strikeouts in relief, allowing no runs and no hits.
Mississippi Gulf Coast edged Northwest 5-4 in total hits, with
Cameron Lancaster leading the way with a 2-for-3 outing for the Rangers. Lancaster also delivered the only extra base hit for the Rangers, adding a double to his credit in the bottom of the second.
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