Box Score SUMMIT - Despite dropping a close 2-1 loss in Friday's nightcap to Southwest Mississippi, Northwest was able to snap a three-game skid earlier in the day with a 7-3 win against John Melvin University.

C.J. Lofton picked up the win for the Rangers on the mound against John Melvin, while his teammates finished with six base hits. In the loss to the Bears, Northwest was limited to just three hits and held a 1-0 lead until Southwest Mississippi added a run each in the fifth and sixth innings.

With the split, Northwest moved to 9-4 on the season. The Rangers are scheduled to resume play on Wednesday, March 1, visiting Roy Cresap Field in Fulton for games against Northeast and host Itawamba. From there, Northwest is expected to return home on Saturday, March 4 to host South Arkansas in a doubleheader at 1/4 P.M.


Game 1 - Northwest 7, John Melvin University 3

After losing a 3-0 lead against John Melvin University, Northwest broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth and kept the Millers off the board the rest of the way, earning the 7-3 win and stopping a three-game slide.

With its opponents running into trouble early in the first and loading the bases, Northwest tacked on three runs in the top half of the first, thanks to a triple from Cade Leatherwood. John Melvin got a run back in the home half of the first, but the Rangers limited the damage and kept a 3-1 advantage entering the second inning.

Northwest came up empty-handed in the second, but Lofton struck out two Millers in the bottom frame, keeping the opponents off the board.

After the Rangers left Eli Selby and Peyton Martin stranded to end the top of the third, John Melvin struck back. The Millers added two runs and tied the game at 3-3, but Lofton navigated through a bases-loaded jam to find the next two outs.

It wouldn't take long for Northwest to regain the lead, however. After Thomas Cheatham led off the fourth inning with a triple, Cy Craig delivered the go-ahead run with a sac fly to left, making it a slim 4-3 advantage for the Rangers.

Both teams led off the next two frames with runners on base, but neither the Rangers or John Melvin were able to make anything happen. After Northwest surrendered a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, Lofton was pulled for Cooper Mitze, but his stay was quickly ended with Judah Buckner coming on in relief. A Starkville native, Buckner ended the inning with a strikeout and by forcing the Millers into a pop-up at second base, keeping the Rangers' lead in tact.

Northwest would finally pull away for good in the top of the sixth, as Leatherwood led off the frame with a double. Cheatham followed with a double of his own, scoring the freshman for a 5-3 lead. Cheatham would later score on a wild pitch and Cade Greer provided the final run for the Rangers with his RBI-single.

Brayden Sanders tossed the final two innings of relief for Northwest and despite allowing a walk and hit-by-pitch, the Memphis signee soon righted the ship, denying any runs for the Millers in the sixth and striking out a batter in the bottom of the seventh. 

Cheatham provided two exciting hits for Northwest, leading the team with a 2-for-3 effort, a double and a triple. Leatherwood's early triple also proved to be critical, as the freshman earned a double and a triple of his own.

Lofton finished with four strikeouts and improved to 3-0 on the season with his four-inning start. 


Game 2 - Southwest Mississippi 2, Northwest 1

Two costly errors in the sixth inning gave Southwest Mississippi the winning run, as Northwest fell to a 2-1 loss to the Bears.

With the game knotted up at 1-1, Braiden Jones led off the sixth by reaching on an error. Despite getting two outs, a fielding error from second base sent Jones across the plate for the winning run.

Prior to that, Northwest took the 1-0 lead in the top half of the second inning, as Leatherwood reached base on a walk and moved to second with a balk, allowing him to score off an RBI-single from Matthew Roncalli.

Through four innings, Logan Eldridge kept the Bears at bay by striking out seven Southwest Mississippi batters. However, with Northwest unable to expand its lead, the cracks began to show in the bottom of the fifth, as a pair of two-out walks sent the tying run home.

Northwest was held to just three hits in the loss, while the Bears finished with two.