GOODMAN - After Holmes used a seven-run fifth inning to stun No. 12 Northwest, 11-10, in the opener, the Rangers had to withstand another Bulldog rally in the nightcap, taking the 13-11 victory on Tuesday afternoon.
Northwest combined for 29 hits in the doubleheader, but the critical innings from the Bulldogs made the Rangers work in the circle.
Kaitlyn Bednarek went 6-for-9 at the plate and hit three homers in Game 2 for six RBIs, while
Gabby Dickerson rebounded from a loss in Game 1 to earn her 14th career win in the nightcap.
Despite the split, the Rangers remain fourth in the latest MACCC standings at 13-7 in the conference and 23-9 overall. Meanwhile, Holmes kept its postseason hopes alive by moving to 23-11 on the season and 8-10 in conference play.
Northwest will have to protect its top five slot on Friday afternoon against a red-hot East Central squad that has won six of its last eight games. The Warriors (22-16, 11-9 MACCC) are coming off a split with the nation's No. 1 team, Copiah-Lincoln, which resulted in the Wolves' first conference loss.
Scheduled for 1/3 P.M., Friday's doubleheader against East Central is one of two remaining at Ranger Softball Field this season. Coverage for both games will be available on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) and Facebook Live.
Game 1 - Holmes 11, #12 Northwest 10
A 6-1 Northwest lead evaporated in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Holmes knocked around seven runs for an 8-6 lead, before scoring three more in the sixth for the 11-10 upset.
With both teams held scoreless after one inning, the Rangers made it a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, only for the Bulldogs to cut the lead in half with a run of their own in the bottom frame.
Northwest scored another run in the third and three more in the fourth, pushing the score to a seemingly-comfortable 6-1 margin entering the fifth inning. After Holmes held the Rangers scoreless in the top of the fifth, the comeback was on for the Bulldogs, as the home team flipped the script and made it an 11-6 deficit entering the top of the seventh.
Suddenly down to its last three outs in the top of the seventh, the Rangers did rally back with four runs, sparked by a leadoff single from
Caylee Comer. A groundout from
Meredith Owen and a sac fly from
Bailey Russell brought across two runs and a two-run homer from Polk made it a one-run ballgame. However, a fly out in foul territory ended the Rangers' comeback hopes.
Northwest outhit Holmes 15-10 in the contest, led by three hits apiece from Polk,
Laila Armstrong and
Saige Koczka. Polk and Koczka each homered in the contest and the aforementioned trio combined for five RBIs.
Julianna Ingram, Shelby Lindsay and Lanie Phillips paced the Bulldogs with two hits apiece, while Hallie Billie homered for Holmes in the sixth.
Dickerson struck out four batters through five innings, but took the Game 1 loss after allowing eight runs on seven hits, five of those unearned.
Meagan Allen tossed the final inning in relief, allowing three runs but striking out two Holmes batters.
Emmagail Kelley (6-1) got the win for Holmes, delivering two strikeouts and scattering six runs in six innings of work. Kelsie Travis threw in relief during the seventh inning, giving up four earned runs.
Game 2 - #12 Northwest 13, Holmes 11
After Holmes scored eight runs in two innings to force Northwest into its first extra-innings contest of the season, Bednarek blasted one of her three homers when it mattered most, breaking the tie in the top of the ninth to lift the Rangers to the 13-11 victory.
Northwest came out angry at the plate in the top half of the first inning, pushing six runs across the plate off a three-run shot from Bednarek and a two-run homer from Allen. However, Holmes answered with three runs of its own in the bottom frame to cut the Rangers' lead in half, 6-3.
A two-run homer from Polk in the top of the second helped Northwest push the lead back to five, 8-3, but Holmes held the Rangers scoreless over the next two frames.
With freshman arm
Kylee Brown keeping the Bulldogs quiet over four straight innings, Northwest maintained its lead and even added to it, thanks to back-to-back solo homers from Bednarek and Comer in the fifth. Another solo shot from Polk in the sixth made it an 11-3 advantage for the Rangers.
Yet once again, Holmes roared back in the bottom of the sixth. The trouble started on a leadoff single from Travis, which paved the way for a two-run double from Lindsay and an infield error that allowed another Bulldog to score, closing the gap to 11-6.
Holmes would close out the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles, adding three more runs and pulling back within 11-9. All of the Bulldogs' runs in the inning came with two outs.
After sending the Rangers down scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Bulldogs once again battled back with two outs. This time, it was Billie delivering a two-run single with the bases loaded, tying the game at 11-11 and forcing extra innings.
Both teams were held silent in the eighth, only for Comer to lead off the ninth with a single. Bednarek then crushed her third homer of the day to give the Rangers the lead, before Holmes retired the next three batters.
With the top of the order due up for Holmes in the bottom of the ninth, Dickerson sent the Bulldog batters into a groundout and a pair of fly outs to preserve the Northwest victory.
Once again, Northwest outmatched Holmes at the plate, earning 14 hits against 12 from the Bulldogs. Bednarek's 4-for-5 performance certainly highlighted the Rangers' efforts, while Allen, Comer, Owen and Polk finished with two hits each.Â
Billie went 3-for-5 to lead the Bulldogs' batters, while Lindsay, Travis and Elleigh Willis compiled two hits apiece.
Dickerson tossed the final three innings in relief, earning the win for Northwest and improving to 14-6 on the season. Travis was pulled for Holmes after allowing eight runs over the first two innings, but it was Willis taking the loss, falling to 7-4 after surrendering five earned runs in seven innings of work.
