PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Hits were not hard to come by for Northwest in Tuesday's 12-4 and 12-1 sweep of Southeast Arkansas.
Northwest had the season's two-highest hitting performances, smashing 18 base hits in the opener and 14 more in the finale, improving to 10-2 on the season.
Kara Johnson,
Kaylee Owens and
Abby Rogers finished the doubleheader with a home run each, while several Rangers finished with at least two hits in each game. Pitchers
Neely Cooper and
Morgen Brewton combined for 14 strikeouts, with Brewton tossing nine in the Game 2 victory.
Northwest will now put its newfound national ranking to the test on Thursday, as the Rangers host 11th-ranked Des Moines Area. The Lady Bears are off to a 4-0 start to the season.
Both games against Des Moines Area will be carried on
Ranger TV.
Game 1 - #7 Northwest 12, Southeast Arkansas 4 (5 inn.)
Northwest scored eight of its runs in the top of the second inning, breaking the game open for the run-rule victory against Southeast Arkansas.
Sommer Tyes led off the scoring barrage in the second, earning a bunt single to third. After stealing second base, the freshman from Baldwyn scored on Johnson's single to left field. In the next at-bat, Rogers hit a two-run homer to left field, giving the Rangers the 3-0 advantage.
Madelyn Wadkins kept the momentum going with a single, followed by a double from
Ellie Fryar. Both players scored in the following at-bat, as
Shelby Payne delivered a two-run double to center, extending the Rangers' lead to 5-0.
Back-to-back triples from Owens and Cooper further stretched the lead to 7-0, and a sacrifice fly from Tyes helped Northwest to the 8-0 advantage.
After Cooper sent the Lady Sharks down in order in the bottom of the second, Wadkins and
Madeline Houk led off the third with back-to-back base hits. Fryar's sacrifice fly made it a 9-0 lead for the Rangers and an RBI-single from
Hanna Grace Gillean further pushed the lead to 10-0.
Southeast Arkansas was able to get three runs back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Rangers quickly responded with an RBI-double from
Marleigh Mancini in the top of the fifth.
Hayley Laurendeau then delivered an RBI-single to center, pushing Northwest back to a 12-3 advantage.
A two-out RBI-single helped the Lady Sharks add another run in the bottom of the fifth, but a groundout to third ended the game moments later, securing the win for Northwest.
Johnson, Payne, Rogers and Wadkins led the Rangers with two hits each, while Cooper tossed five strikeouts against one walk in three full innings. Gillean and
Dakota Haynsworth combined for two relief innings in the circle, with Haynsworth tallying a strikeout.
Game 2 - #7 Northwest 12, Southeast Arkansas 1 (5 inn.)
A three-run first inning helped set the stage for another run-rule victory, as Northwest delivered the sweep of Southeast Arkansas.
With two outs, Tyes delivered a two-run triple, scoring Owens from second and Payne from third. Rogers then followed with an RBI-single to center, sending Tyes around the plate for the 3-0 lead.
Payne helped the Rangers expand the lead in the top of the second inning, as her double to right center helped Houk score from second. Southeast Arkansas promptly responded in the bottom of the second, scoring a run off an error to spoil the shutout.
Both teams went through the third and fourth innings without scoring, but the Rangers led off the fifth with a bang, as Owens homered to left and Johnson followed with a three-run homer to left, pushing the lead to 8-1.
Thenya Kennedy followed with an RBI-double to left field and scored off Fryar's triple, giving Northwest the comfortable 11-1 advantage.
Still batting in the top of the fifth,
Jada Diaz delivered an RBI-single and Payne scored on a steal of home, giving the Rangers the 12-1 lead. From there, relief pitcher
Addison Owen retired the Lady Sharks in order, preserving the run-rule win for the Rangers.
Five Rangers finished with two hits apiece, as Brewton improved to 6-0 in the circle, issuing nine strikeouts with no walks in four full frames.Â
