MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Whether it was hitting, fielding or pitching, Northwest looked solid all around in a pair of Saturday victories against Motlow State and Columbia State in the Early Bird JUCO Classic.
A last-minute flip-flop of the two games didn't faze the Rangers much either, as Northwest picked up a 14-6 victory against Motlow State and a 6-3 win against Columbia State in the finale.
Northwest combined for 25 hits in the sweep and improved to 4-0 on the season. Sophomores
Logan Eldridge and C.J. Lofton picked up the wins on the mound, while Memphis signee
Brayden Sanders preserved the Rangers' lead in the seventh inning of Game 2, earning his second save of the season.
Weather permitting, the Rangers will travel to Jackson State (Tenn.) on Wednesday for a 12/3 P.M. twinbill. Northwest will also return home this weekend for a three-game homestand with Illinois Central, beginning with one game on Friday at 1 P.M.
Game 1 - Northwest 14, Motlow State 6
A six-run bottom of the second inning broke the game open for Northwest and the Rangers added seven more over the fifth and sixth frames, setting up the 14-6 win.
Five of the Rangers' six runs in the bottom of the second inning came off home runs from freshman duo
Hayes Davis and
Cade Leatherwood, with Davis smashing a three-run shot for his second homer of the season. Leatherwood, a Collierville, Tenn. native, blasted a two-run bomb for his first collegiate home run.
Motlow State scattered runs over the second, third and fourth innings to close the gap to 7-3. The Bucks would then get a pair of runs back in the top of the fifth to slice the deficit to 7-5, only for the Rangers to get three back in the bottom half of the fifth, thanks to a two-run double from
Cy Craig and an RBI-double from
Jacob Hill.
Although the Bucks scored another in the top half of the sixth to make it a 10-6 ballgame, Northwest shut the door for good in the bottom of the inning with a four-run frame.
Peyton Martin led off the inning with a solo home run and
Eli Selby and
Matthew Roncalli followed with a pair of RBI base hits.
Motlow State stood no chance against
James Smith in the top of the seventh, as the former Ole Miss signee retired the Bucks in order to seal the Rangers' win.
Northwest outmatched Motlow State 14-9 in total hits, with Martin finishing 3-for-4 and Selby going 3-for-5 with two RBIs at the plate. Davis, Leatherwood and Roncalli also accounted for two hits each, while Craig and Hill finished with one hit apiece.
Eldridge lasted 2.2 innings, but earned the victory on the mound, striking out four batters and surrendering two earned runs.
Judah Buckner also posted a strong relief effort, tossing three strikeouts with no walks given up in two full frames.
Game 2 - Northwest 6, Columbia State 3
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Columbia State threatened to turn the tables on Northwest, but
Mason Shropshire had something to say about that.
After giving up a walk to load the bases, the freshman reliever came in and sent the Chargers down 1-2-3 to end the scoring threat, helping the Rangers hold on to the victory.
Northwest blasted out 11 hits in the contest, compared to just six from Columbia State. The Rangers got the scoring started in the top of the second, thanks to a stolen base from
James Smith, and
Hayes Davis sent an RBI-double off the wall for a 2-0 Northwest lead.
Columbia State countered with a run in the bottom of the third, only for Northwest to get two back in the top of the fourth. Smith doubled off the wall to lead things off and
Dawson Griffin brought him home with a two-run home run.
Davis started off the fifth with a leadoff single and
Cade Greer followed with a two-run single to make it a 6-1 Northwest lead. Columbia State battled back in the bottom half of the frame, slicing the Rangers' lead in half at 6-3.
After Shropshire denied the Chargers' bases loaded threat in the bottom of the sixth, Sanders came on in the bottom of the seventh and struck out the last Columbia State batter, earning the save and preserving the win for Northwest.
Davis went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Greer and Smith finished with two hits apiece. On the mound, Lofton went four full innings with four strikeouts and two walks allowed.
