SENATOBIA - Northwest sophomore pitcher
Scott Sharp pitched six solid innings to keep Rock Valley College off the board for most of Wednesday's first game, but the visiting Golden Eagles broke out the bats in Game 2, leaving with a split against the Rangers.
Northwest took Game 1 by a 10-1 final, while Rock Valley earned an 11-3 win in the nightcap. The Rangers moved to 16-6 on the season, while the Golden Eagles moved to 8-7 overall.
Cade Greer kept his hot hitting going in the Game 1 victory, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Matthew Roncalli also combined to finish 2-for-5 on the afternoon.
Northwest will jump back into MACCC competition on Saturday, March 16, hosting Copiah-Lincoln for a 2/5 P.M. twinbill. The Wolves (13-13, 1-1 MACCC) split with Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday, and Co-Lin previously took a 4-3 non-conference win against the Rangers on March 6.
Game 1 - Northwest 10, Rock Valley College 1
Led by Greer's efforts at the plate and a six-inning, six-strikeout effort from Sharp on the mound, Northwest blew past Rock Valley with a 10-1 rout in the opener.
Greer and
Jacob Hill kickstarted the Rangers' scoring efforts in the bottom of the first, as both players led off the game with singles.
Levi Lang brought in Hill on a sacrifice fly, then
Cade Leatherwood grounded out to short to score Greer, putting Northwest ahead 2-0.
After the Golden Eagles left a pair of runners stranded in the top of the second, the Rangers plated four more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Roncalli led off the frame with a single to third base, followed by Hill's sacrifice fly. Greer then drove in another run on a double to right field, followed by a two-run single from Leatherwood, extending the Northwest lead to 6-0.
Both pitchers retired the side in the third inning and Ethan Krueger led off the fourth with a solo homer, getting Rock Valley on the board. However, Northwest widened the gap in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs on two hits.
Hayes Davis delivered a leadoff single and with the bases loaded, Lang walked in a run, making it a 7-1 advantage for the Rangers.
Leatherwood then delivered a sacrifice fly to right field and Greer scored on a wild pitch, adding two more runs for Northwest. Another bases loaded walk to
Tyler Pearson drove in the Rangers' final run, sending Northwest to the seventh with the 10-1 advantage.
James Smith closed out the game on the mound for Northwest, issuing two quick strikeouts and an infield groundout.
Sharp (4-1) tossed six strikeouts over six full frames, walking one batter and allowing a single earned run. Ricky Powell III (0-1) was handed the loss for Rock Valley, striking out three batters against two walks in four innings.
Greer was responsible for three of the Rangers' eight base hits, while the Golden Eagles were held to just five hits. Grant Garrett led Rock Valley, finishing 2-for-3.
Game 2 - Rock Valley College 11, Northwest 3
Scoreless after three innings, Rock Valley broke the game open in the fourth, scoring four runs, before adding seven more over the next two frames.
With one out in the top of the fourth, Krueger and Jackson Lindquist hit back-to-back singles, and a walk loaded the bases. The Golden Eagles scored two on an attempted sacrifice bunt, which wound up as an error. Ryan Buschmann then hit a two-run single, lifting the Golden Eagles to a 4-0 lead.
Although Lang led off the bottom of the fourth with a single, the Rangers were retired in order after that. Back-to-back homers from Krueger and Lindquist helped Rock Valley stretch the lead to 6-0 in the top of the fifth.
John Blockmon helped Northwest get a run back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring on a wild pitch. However, the Golden Eagles responded with five runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by a three-run double from Lindquist, all but putting the game out of reach for the Rangers.
Northwest did gain two runs back over the final two innings, thanks to an RBI-double from
Baker Walker in the bottom of the sixth and a wild pitch that scored
Cade Freeze in the bottom of the seventh. However, it wasn't nearly enough to mount a serious rally, as Rock Valley held on for the win.
Rock Valley out-hit Northwest 11-8, with Krueger and Lindquist combining for six of the Golden Eagles' hits. Northwest scattered all eight of its base hits across the lineup.
Gavin McCoy (1-2) took the loss for the Rangers, striking out three batters against two walks and three earned runs in 3.2 innings.
Carson Fox,
Cooper Mitze and
Payton Sanders all pitched in relief for Northwest, combining for three strikeouts in 3.1 frames.
Troy McLeese got the win for the Golden Eagles, improving to 1-1 on the mound. The Rock Valley pitcher lasted 6.1 innings, striking out six batters against a pair of walks.
