SENATOBIA - Northwest combined for 21 base hits and
Neely Cooper pitched another complete game, as the Rangers took a pair of 7-2 and 6-3 victories at East Mississippi on Wednesday afternoon.
Northwest totaled 12 hits in the opener and led 7-0, before East Mississippi picked up two late runs. In Game 2, the Rangers trailed 1-0 after the first inning, but responded with five runs over the next two innings.
With the sweep, Northwest moved to 24-14 on the season and evened their conference record to 11-11. The Rangers are now eighth in the MACCC standings with three conference doubleheaders remaining. Meanwhile, East Mississippi dropped to 13-23 overall and 5-17 in conference play.
Northwest will conclude its regular season road schedule on Friday, April 19, as the Rangers take on Mississippi Gulf Coast at 2/4 P.M. The Lady Bulldogs (31-17, 13-8 MACCC) are coming off Wednesday's sweep at the hands of 13th-ranked Hinds.
Game 1 - Northwest 7, East Mississippi 2
Although an hour-long lightning delay halted a promising first inning for Northwest, the Rangers made up for it with a five-run frame in the top of the second, cruising to a 7-2 triumph at East Mississippi.
Northwest loaded the bases in the top of the first, but a strikeout to
Lulu Franks prevented the Rangers from scoring. Cooper made quick work of EMCC in the home half of the inning though, issuing a strikeout and forcing the Lady Lions into a groundout, before Franks caught an East Mississippi runner attempting to steal second base, ending the inning.
Carly Dunigan led off the top of the second with a single to center and
Chloe Summerford followed with a double, setting up an RBI-single from
Madeline Houk that gave the Rangers their first run of the game.
Ellie Fryar then loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch, and a bases-loaded walk to
Abby Rogers brought in another run, stretching the Northwest lead to 2-0.
Hanna Grace Gillean continued the scoring spurt in the top of the second, delivering a sacrifice fly to center, followed by a fielder's choice from
Kara Johnson, pushing the lead to 4-0. An error in Franks' at-bat scored
Kaylee Owens from third, widening the gap to 5-0.
Things were relatively quiet over the next two innings, but a leadoff double from Fryar helped set up a sacrifice fly from Gillean in the top of the fifth, pushing the Rangers' lead to 6-0. Houk would later provide an insurance run for Northwest in the top of the seventh, as her leadoff homer to left field made it a 7-0 lead.
East Mississippi tried to rally back in the bottom of the seventh, as the Lady Lions led off the frame with back-to-back singles. With one out, EMCC got an RBI-single past Johnson and scored another run on a groundout to Owens, before Cooper delivered the final strikeout to preserve the win.
Cooper (9-9) pitched another complete game, striking out five East Mississippi batters, allowing no walks and two earned runs. Houk led the Rangers' efforts at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, while Fryar, Johnson and Owens collected two base hits each.
Carys Goodwin (7-10) was handed the loss for East Mississippi, striking out two batters against three walks and three earned runs in three total innings.Â
Game 2 - Northwest 6, East Mississippi 3
Leading 6-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, Northwest had to fend off a small rally from East Mississippi, but Rogers entered the circle in relief to get the save in a 6-3 Game 2 victory.
East Mississippi struck first in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI-double, only for the Rangers to respond with four straight base hits in the top of the second. Houk and Summerford each collected RBI-singles, as Northwest jumped ahead by a 3-1 margin.
Morgen Brewton sent the Lady Lions down scoreless in the bottom of the second, while Northwest tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the third. Franks' sacrifice fly to center field scored Gillean and an error in Dunigan's at-bat allowed Owens to score from third, pushing the Rangers' lead to 5-1.
Though EMCC countered with a run in the bottom of the third, Northwest got a two-out double in the top of the sixth from Summerford, scoring Franks to make it a 6-2 advantage.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, a double and an error helped the Lady Lions close the gap to 6-3. Back-to-back singles and a fly out to left field allowed EMCC to load the bases, but Rogers delivered a strikeout to end the game, collecting her first career save.
Brewton (13-4) struck out two East Mississippi batters in 6.1 frames, surpassing 100 strikeouts on the season. The win also allowed the Mobile, Ala. native to move into the Rangers' Top 10 category for most wins in a single season.
Both teams finished with nine base hits apiece, with Summerford leading the Rangers with a 3-for-4 effort and three RBIs. Franks also went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
