SENATOBIA - Although No. 15 Northwest came from behind in both of Wednesday's games against East Mississippi, only the finale resulted in a Ranger victory, as NWCC picked up a 6-5 win after a 9-6 loss in the opener.

Gavin McCoy went the distance in Game 2, improving his record to 5-2 on the mound and logging his third complete game of his college career. At the plate, Northwest combined for four home runs on the day, including two from James Smith.

With the split, the Rangers improved to 33-13 overall, earning the most wins in a single season since 2019. Northwest also moved to 17-5 in the MACCC, dropping slightly in the standings to third place.

Meanwhile, East Mississippi moved to 28-17 on the season and 14-10 in conference play. The Lions now sit at sixth in the latest conference standings.

Northwest will close out the home portion of the regular season schedule on Friday, April 19, hosting Mississippi Gulf Coast for Sophomore Day. The Bulldogs (25-17, 11-11 MACCC) are coming off a sweep at the hands of Hinds, dropping both games by 20-5 and 7-5 finals.

Start times are scheduled for 2/5 P.M. at Jim Miles Field, with sophomore recognition taking place in between games. Broadcast coverage will be provided on Ranger TV.


Game 1 - East Mississippi 9, #15 Northwest 6

Although a three-run bottom of the eighth inning erased the deficit for Northwest, East Mississippi countered with a five-run frame in the top of the ninth, earning the Game 1 win against the Rangers.

East Mississippi out-hit the Rangers by a 13-8 margin in the opener, as Smith (8-3) received the loss on the mound.

Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings, before EMCC scored two in the top of the third. Coby Holmes doubled to left-center to score Zac Butler, while Evan Radford followed with a triple to left-center, giving the Lions the quick 2-0 lead.

With Northwest unable to score over the next two frames, the Lions stretched their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth, thanks to an RBI-single to right field from Ayden Alsobrooks. 

Northwest finally got a run on the board in the home half of the fifth inning, as a leadoff walk to Smith set up a sacrifice fly from Jacob Hill, scoring Smith with two outs. 

In the sixth inning, East Mississippi got a run back off Colin Boyd's double to right-center. However, the Rangers answered in the bottom of the inning off Smith's two-run homer, pulling back within 4-3.

East Mississippi combined to leave three runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings, and fortunes seemingly changed for Northwest in the bottom of the eighth. After Cade Leatherwood and Matthew Roncalli led off the frame with back-to-back singles, Levi Lang stepped to the plate and smashed a three-run homer to left-center, pushing the Rangers ahead by a 6-4 margin.

However, the Lions would pick up three straight outs after that and led off the top of the ninth with a double to right from Jon Paul Yates. After a walk to Radford, Yates scored on a wild pitch and Jordan Scarborough's RBI-single through the right side scored the tying run.

With Northwest still searching for the first out in the top of the ninth, a fielder's choice scored the go-ahead run for East Mississippi and a two-run homer from Gates Gerhart all but sealed the win for the Lions.

Riley Myers then pitched the final inning of relief for EMCC, retiring the Rangers in order.

Smith took the loss on the mound for Northwest, striking out one batter against two walks and five earned runs in the ninth. Scott Sharp went six solid innings, earning seven strikeouts, despite allowing 10 hits and four earned runs.

Carson Fox also pitched well in relief, throwing two shutout innings with a walk and a strikeout.

For East Mississippi, Luke Sides (3-0) picked up the victory in relief, despite allowing three earned runs against a strikeout and no walks. Myers earned his second save of the season with the scoreless ninth inning.

Landon Scruggs started for the Lions and lasted five full innings, giving up two runs and three walks. Sam Malone also pitched an inning of relief, allowing a hit and an earned run.

At the plate, Roncalli and Smith finished with two base hits apiece, while Yates' 3-for-5 effort led East Mississippi. The Lions were also aided by two hits each from Holmes and Radford.


Game 2 - #15 Northwest 6, East Mississippi 5

Much like the opener, Northwest was forced to dig out of a 5-2 deficit, eventually taking the lead in the bottom of the sixth and hanging on to salvage the split of East Mississippi.

Gerhart's solo home run in the top of the second allowed the Lions to take a quick 1-0 advantage, but Smith's two-run homer to left field put the Rangers ahead 2-1 in the home half of the same inning.

Radford's sacrifice fly in the top of the third allowed East Mississippi to tie things up once again, but the Lions' three-run frame in the fourth inning made it a 5-2 hole for Northwest. 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Rangers got a run back, thanks to Jackson Jenkins' groundout to second base, which scored Roncalli from third.

Despite struggling in the fourth inning, Northwest kept McCoy on the mound in the fifth inning, and the move paid off. After a 1-2-3 inning for the freshman from Saltillo, the Rangers loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, where Smith brought in a run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, closing the gap to 5-4.

After McCoy tossed another scoreless frame in the top of the sixth, Northwest got to work with two outs on the board. Cade Greer singled through the left side and Peyton Martin blasted a homer to left center, putting the Rangers on top, 6-5.

McCoy came back out to polish off the top of the seventh and didn't miss a beat, forcing all three EMCC batters to pop up into center field, where Greer made all three putouts to close out the win.

McCoy finished with two strikeouts against three walks and three earned runs (two unearned). East Mississippi used four pitchers in the loss, with Scarborough (2-2) taking the loss, after pitching 1.1 innings and allowing two hits, including Martin's home run.

Jacob Nunn started the game for the Lions, striking out two against no walks and two earned runs in two complete frames. Matthew Birdsong and Chipper Moore combined for the next 2.2 innings of relief, with both pitchers combining for three strikeouts.

Northwest finished with eight hits at the plate, with Greer, Martin and Roncalli combining for six of the Rangers' hits. Gerhart finished with two of East Mississippi's four base hits. Read Full Article