SENATOBIA - After leading 4-0 through three innings, Northwest surrendered 14 unanswered runs in a 14-5 loss to Jackson State (Tenn.) on Tuesday afternoon.
Northwest dropped to 23-20 on the season, while Jackson State improved to 14-26 overall. The loss also dropped the Rangers to 10-6 against non-conference opponents.
A leadoff single from
Caleb Hobson started things off right for the Rangers, as the speedy sophomore advanced to third on a pair of stolen bases. Hobson would later score when
Thomas Cheatham stole second base, giving Northwest a quick 1-0 advantage.
After
Brayden Sanders sent the GreenJays down in order in the top of the second, Northwest was held scoreless until the bottom of the third inning, when
Peeko Townsend's RBI-double and
Tyler Byrd's two-run single brought the score to 4-0.
Northwest got two outs in the top of the fourth before things began to unravel for the Rangers. With two runners already on base, an error sent two Jackson State runs across the plate before an RBI-single cut the lead to one.
Jackson State would score the tying run on a stolen base before another error gave the GreenJays a 5-4 lead. The opponents would extend the lead to 6-4 in the fifth, thanks to an RBI-single from Garrett Taylor.
After holding the Rangers scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, the GreenJays widened the gap with a three-run frame in the top of the sixth inning, scoring on a wild pitch, a single and a double. Jackson State tacked on five more runs in the seventh, pushing its lead to 14-4.
A groundout on
Blake Loper's at-bat allowed
Cameron Lancaster to score from third to keep the game going, but neither team added anything else over the remaining two innings as Jackson State left with the win.
Northwest was outhit 13-8 in the loss, with
Hunter Cramer going 2-for-4 to lead the Rangers' effort at the plate.
Wesley Lester also finished 2-for-5 with a double.
Eight pitchers were used in the loss for the Rangers, with
Zach Beasley (1-1) taking the loss after allowing five runs in his lone inning of work, though all were unearned.
John Luke Marlin and
Connor Spencer shined in their combined two innings of relief, delivering three strikeouts apiece.
Michael Bell went 4-for-6 in the leadoff spot for Jackson State, while Garrett Byrd went 3-for-6 with two RBIs.Â
Northwest will close out the regular season on Friday, April 29 against Southwest Mississippi (12-28, 7-19 MACCC). The doubleheader is scheduled for 2/5 P.M. start times, with Sophomore Day recognition held in between games.
