RAYMOND - Though No. 3 Northwest trailed in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader at Hinds, the Rangers successfully rallied back to earn a 14-5 and 6-1 sweep against the Lady Eagles.
Pitchers
Allyson Harrison and
Gabby Dickerson earned victories in the circle, with Harrison moving to 7-1 on the season and Dickerson improving to 10-0. At the plate, Northwest had eight hits in Game 1 and posted seven more in the finale.
With the road sweep, Northwest moved to 22-2 on the season and 11-1 in the MACCC, while Hinds fell to 5-25 overall and 2-10 in conference play.
Next up for the Rangers is a road doubleheader at Coahoma, scheduled for Tuesday, April 4 at a time still to be determined. Further updates will be posted on the 2023 softball schedule page, located
here.
Game 1 - #3 Northwest 14, Hinds 5 (6 inn.)
It wasn't easy, but Northwest broke things open with a five-run frame in the top of the fourth and combined for five more in the fifth and sixth innings, earning the run-rule win against Hinds.
Scoreless after one complete, the Rangers put two runs on the board in the top of the second. Back-to-back triples from Harrison and
Madeline Houk allowed Northwest to take a 1-0 advantage, while
Anna Nickens' double made it a 2-0 lead.
Errors plagued Northwest in the bottom of the second, allowing Hinds to score three runs on three errors. However, the Rangers countered with a two-run homer from Houk in the top of the third, bringing the score to 4-3.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, the Lady Eagles regained the lead on a single and a bases loaded walk. The change in momentum would be short-lived though, as Northwest benefited from an RBI-double from
Kaylee Owens and a two-run homer by
McKaylee "K.K." Polk, bringing the score to a 7-5 Northwest lead.
Errors turned against Hinds in the fourth as well, allowing Northwest to add another pair of runs, stretching the advantage to 9-5. Later in the fifth, another error brought in two more runs for the Rangers, and an RBI-double from Nickens in the sixth helped make it a 12-5 game.
Northwest tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth, while Harrison shut down the Lady Eagles in the home half of the inning, sealing the run-rule Ranger victory.
Hinds accounted for only two base hits, while both teams combined for seven errors. Northwest finished with eight base hits, led by two apiece from Harrison, Houk and Nickens, while Alexis Moran and Kaitlyn Papizan finished with the lone two hits for the Lady Eagles.
Harrison tossed five of the six innings for the Rangers, delivering seven strikeouts with no earned runs given up.
Neely Cooper also tossed an inning of work, garnering two strikeouts against two walks and two earned runs.
Hinds' Riley Myers and Kasey Simmons combined for six strikeouts, but surrendered nine walks and nine earned runs.
Game 2 - #3 Northwest 6, Hinds 1
For the second time this season, Dickerson totaled double-digit strikeouts, earning a season-best 13 punchouts in a 6-1 Game 2 victory.
Dickerson surrendered just one hit and one earned run, while the Rangers finished with seven base hits. Melina Seiferd dropped to 0-7 in the circle for Hinds, earning three strikeouts against three walks and six earned runs.
Kara Johnson grounded out to score
Reese Vanlandingham in the top of the first, while an error allowed Polk to score on Houk's at-bat, giving the Rangers the early 2-0 lead.
Though the game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, Northwest scored two more in the sixth with two outs, while Polk's triple in the seventh made it a 5-1 advantage. Johnson's infield grounder allowed Polk to score, bringing the score to its final total.
Vanlandingham and
Crista Wilson finished with two base hits apiece to lead the Rangers, while Natalie Martin's double provided Hinds with its only base hit.
