POPLARVILLE - Though No. 3 Pearl River claimed the MACCC regular season crown with Saturday's Game 2 victory against Northwest, the 12th-ranked Rangers certainly made the Wildcats work for it, taking the opener by a 9-8 final.
Northwest got 13 base hits in the opener, led by three apiece from
Levi Lang and
Cade Leatherwood. The Rangers finished with five doubles, one from Lang and two apiece from Leatherwood and
Jacob Hill.
On the mound,
Cy Craig tossed 4.2 frames, falling just shy of recording the victory. The Jackson native delivered two strikeouts against a pair of walks, while
Baker Walker earned the win, tossing a pair of strikeouts against a walk and three earned runs in 3.1 innings of relief.
Additionally,
Cooper Mitze picked up the save for the Rangers with his complete inning of relief in the ninth.
With the split, Northwest improved to 37-15 on the season and finished 21-7 in the MACCC, earning third place in the final regular season conference standings. The Rangers' 21 conference victories are also the most ever recorded in a single season, surpassing several seasons that were capped at 20 wins.Â
Additionally, Northwest went through conference play without being swept in a single doubleheader, marking the first time since the 2007 season that the Rangers accomplished that feat.
Next up for Northwest is the upcoming best-of-three NJCAA Region 23 play-in series, scheduled for May 3-5 against eighth-place Hinds. The Eagles (26-27, 14-14 MACCC) concluded their regular season with a split of Holmes on Saturday. The Rangers and Hinds met three times this season, with Northwest earning a non-conference win on February 21 before splitting in Raymond on March 29.
Game times are scheduled for 6 P.M. on Friday, May 3, with games two and three scheduled for 6 P.M. and 2 P.M. start times on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. All three contests will take place at Jim Miles Field, with broadcast coverage provided on
Ranger TV.
Game 1 - #12 Northwest 9, #3 Pearl River 8
Although Pearl River rallied back from a 9-4 deficit with four runs in the final two innings, Northwest held on to secure the opening win against the Wildcats.
Northwest took a 1-0 lead right out of the gate, before Pearl River tied it up in the bottom of the third. The Rangers used a four-run frame in the top of the fourth to break away, before adding runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Pearl River remained in striking distance though, scoring two in the bottom of the fourth and one in the fifth, before tacking on a run in the eighth and four in the ninth.
Both teams combined for 25 base hits, led by 13 from the Rangers. Aside from the three base hits from Lang and Leatherwood, Hill also recorded a pair of hits and two stolen bases, further adding to his career record.
Northwest also stole seven bases in the win, with two more coming from
Cade Greer and
James Smith, while
Peyton Martin finished with one.Â
Pearl River got 12 base hits in the loss, but finished with five errors. Jeff Ince, Jonah Katsaboulas and Marshall Phillips recorded two base hits apiece, and the Wildcats finished with four doubles from Katasaboulas, Phillips, Creek Robertson and Alex Wade.
J.T. Schnoor was handed the loss on the mound for Pearl River, surrendering five runs and a walk against three strikeouts in the first 3.1 innings. Carson Fair and Austin Tommasini combined for five relief innings, allowing four more runs against six strikeouts.
Game 2 - #3 Pearl River 7, #12 Northwest 1
Pearl River scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the fifth, as the Wildcats held Northwest to a single run in the nightcap.
Northwest finished with six hits in the loss, led by two apiece from Hill and Leatherwood, who scored the Rangers' lone run in the top of the second inning.
Jackson Jenkins tossed 4.2 innings on the mound, finishing with the loss. The freshman from Senatobia allowed all seven runs and struck out one batter against two walks.
Drew Lamb pitched the final 1.1 frames, delivering a strikeout and a walk to hold the Wildcats scoreless down the stretch.
Meanwhile, Caleb Dyess went the distance for the Wildcats, striking out six Northwest batters and allowing no walks. Bryce Fowler went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead Pearl River, while Hollis Porter and Parker Ryan finished with two hits each.
