SENATOBIA - Though the nightcap didn't go in favor of Northwest, the Rangers' highlight of Saturday's split with South Arkansas was undoubtedly C.J. Lofton's complete game winner in the opener.

Lofton, a sophomore from Magnolia Heights, tossed five strikeouts in a career-best outing, helping the Rangers to the 7-1 victory. South Arkansas broke out the sticks in Game 2 however, earning a 12-8 win, denying the sweep for Northwest.

Northwest (11-6) will host East Mississippi and Copiah-Lincoln on Tuesday, March 7 in a three-team tripleheader at Jim Miles Field. The Rangers will take on EMCC at 11 A.M. and Co-Lin at 6 P.M., while the Lions and Wolves will face each other in the mid-afternoon game.

All three games will be carried on Ranger TV, with live stats available for the two Northwest games here. 


Game 1 - Northwest 7, South Arkansas 1

Tied at 1-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, Eli Selby showed off some late inning heroics for the Rangers, knocking in four runs on a grand slam to help Northwest to the 7-1 victory.

Aided by Lofton's complete game effort on the mound, Northwest used 11 base hits to eventually take the advantage against the Stars. Trailing 1-0 entering the sixth, Selby tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI-single through the right side.

After Selby's grand slam made it a 5-1 lead, the Rangers added a pair of runs for insurance in the eighth, thanks to Dawson Griffin's single to center field.

Griffin, Selby and James Smith finished with two base hits each, while five more Rangers earned one base hit apiece. South Arkansas was held to just three base hits, led by two apiece from Ryan Riggs.

Christian Clayson tossed a solid six innings on the mound for South Arkansas, striking out seven batters against two walks. Jack Moody was handed the loss in relief, after surrendering the remainder of the Rangers' runs.


Game 2 - South Arkansas 12, Northwest 8

Northwest finished with 10 base hits in the contest, but South Arkansas scored in every inning except the second and the seventh, earning the nightcap win.

South Arkansas wasted no time jumping in front, as the Stars built a 3-0 lead in the top half of the first. Northwest tied the game in the home half of the inning, thanks to a pair of RBI-singles from Selby, Griffin and Hayes Davis, only for South Arkansas to plate another in the third.

Though the Rangers responded with an RBI-single from Cade Leatherwood in the bottom of the third, South Arkansas scored two more in the fourth and two more in the fifth, building an 8-4 advantage. Northwest got two back in the bottom of the fifth with Brandon Bruckman's two-run single to center, but the Stars put the game away for good with a four-run frame in the sixth inning.

South Arkansas knocked around 15 base hits, led by three each from Jacob Ambriz and Alex Showalter. The Stars also hit four triples in the contest.

Northwest was led by two hits each from Bruckman, Griffin and Leatherwood. James Smith and Jacob Hill also finished with a pair of doubles.

Kadyn Howard got the win in relief for the Stars, despite walking five Northwest batters. Howard tossed two strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in 2.1 innings, while Luke Eaton also finished with a pair of strikeouts in the final 2.1 innings.

Logan Eldridge was handed the loss for Northwest, surrendering six runs on two strikeouts in 3.2 total innings. The Rangers used a total of six pitchers in the loss, with Blake Loper, Judah Buckner and Brayden Sanders combining for four strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Read Full Article