JACKSON, Tenn. - Northwest opened its Wednesday doubleheader at Jackson State (Tenn.) with a bang...literally.
Cy Craig went yard on the first pitch, firing a solo homer over the wall in center field, setting up a 7-3 victory in Game 1. Though the two teams went back and forth over the course of the nightcap, the Rangers remained a step ahead the whole way, earning the sweep with a 6-4 win.
Northwest improved to 6-0 on the season with the wins, marking the program's best start through six games since the 2016 season. That year, the Rangers finished 29-21 overall and advanced to the now-defunct MACJC Tournament and the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.
Northwest is scheduled to return to the friendly confines of Jim Miles Field this weekend for a three-game homestand with Illinois Central. The first game will take place on Friday afternoon at 1 P.M., with Saturday featuring a doubleheader at 1/4 P.M.
All three games will be carried on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch).
Game 1 - Northwest 7, Jackson State (Tenn.) 3
Northwest picked up six of its seven runs in the top half of the first inning and added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to seal a win in the opener.
Cy Craig teed off on the first pitch of the game, getting the Rangers on the board quickly with his solo homer to center.
James Smith followed that by knocking in two more on a single to center, stretching the Northwest lead to 3-0.
Thomas Cheatham then laced a two-run double to center field and
Dawson Griffin added an RBI-single through the left side, helping Northwest earn the substantial 6-0 lead.
Although Jackson State responded with a run off an error in the bottom of the first, the Rangers managed to limit the damage as
Brooks Rice ended the frame with a strikeout of Drake Blackwood.
While Skyler Trousdale struggled to open the game, the Jackson State pitcher settled in over the next couple of innings, retiring the Rangers in order in the second inning and keeping Northwest off the board in the third. Meanwhile, Garret Byrd smacked a triple with two outs and scored off a wild pitch, helping the Green Jays cut the deficit to 6-2 heading to the fourth inning.
Northwest was unable to match its first inning momentum in the fourth and fifth innings, as the Rangers left two stranded in the top half of the fifth. Both teams also went to the bullpen in the inning, as the Rangers brought in
Blake Loper and the Green Jays entered Jack Hearn.
With one out and no one on base in the top of the sixth, the Rangers tried to add to their 6-2 lead and Cheatham's double through the left side certainly provided a spark. However, a strikeout and a pop-up in foul territory ended the threat and sent Northwest back to the dugout empty-handed.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Blackwood brought Jackson State a little closer with his solo home run over the wall in center. However, the Green Jays would leave two runners stranded after that, keeping Northwest ahead 6-3.
Jacob Hill led off the top of the seventh with a double and
Hayes Davis brought him home on an RBI-single, adding the Rangers' seventh and final run.
Brayden Sanders came on in the bottom half of the inning to close the game out, doing so by striking out a pair of Jackson State batters.
Both teams finished nearly even in total hits, but Northwest ended the game with a slight 8-7 edge. Cheatham and Davis each finished 2-for-3 to lead the Rangers, with the Cheatham also collecting a pair of RBIs.
Rice lasted four innings on the mound for Northwest, earning his first win of the season. The Madison native struck out five batters against a pair of walks and allowed just one earned run. Loper and Sanders also combined for four strikeouts over the final three frames.
Fithian's 3-for-4 day led all Jackson State batters, while Trousdale struck out two and walked five batters, picking up the loss for the Green Jays. Hearn tossed three strikeouts over the final three innings.
Game 2 - Northwest 6, Jackson State (Tenn.) 4
Jackson State pulled within a run on two different occasion, only for Northwest to respond each time with runs of its own, as the Rangers held on for the win in the nightcap.
Scoreless through two complete, the Green Jays made a call to the bullpen to open the third inning. A leadoff walk and a single from Hill put two runners on for the Rangers, and a three-run homer from
Larson Ingram gave Northwest a 3-0 lead.
Northwest left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth and the Rangers coming up empty would hurt a little in the bottom half of the inning. A passed ball helped Jackson State get on the board and a two-out error in the fifth helped add another run, slicing the deficit to 3-2.
Needing some separation, the Rangers wasted no time loading the bases in the top of the sixth. After the Green Jays made another call to the bullpen, a bases loaded walk to
Tyler Pearson and a sac fly from
John Blockmon gifted Northwest two more runs, extending the lead to 5-2.
However, Jacob Bryant made sure his team didn't quit, sending a run home on an RBI-double. Bryant would later score on a wild pitch, helping the Green Jays pull back within a run.
Holding a narrow 5-4 lead into the seventh,
Cade Leatherwood led things off with a single and later scored off an RBI-single from
Eli Selby, pushing the Rangers' lead back to 6-4.
Mason Shropshire wasted little time with Jackson State in the bottom of the seventh, striking out the Green Jays' leadoff batter. Two more popped up to center and the catcher,
Matthew Roncalli, thus ending the contest in favor of the Rangers and giving Shropshire his second career save for his efforts.
Northwest scattered seven hits across the lineup, while
Connor McCaslin earned his first collegiate victory on the mound. The Arlington, Tenn. native struck out five batters against four walks and two runs in 4.1 total innings.
Jerrod Gurden was handed the loss for Jackson State after surrendering three runs in one inning. The Green Jays were also held to four hits, all scattered across their lineup as well.
