ELLISVILLE - Freshman pitcher
Brennan Jones pitched seven shutout innings and Northwest pummeled 13 hits in Game 1, as the 17th-ranked Rangers left with a split of No. 7 Jones College on Saturday afternoon.
Northwest shut out the Bobcats with a 10-0 victory in the opener, before falling by a close 6-5 margin in the nightcap.
Cade Leatherwood went 3-for-6 at the plate in the Game 1 victory against Jones College, earning three RBIs. Despite the Game 2 loss,
James Smith finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run and two RBIs.
With the split, the Rangers enter the upcoming week tied for second place in the MACCC standings with Jones College and East Central. Northwest (28-10, 13-3 MACCC) will gear up for its final homestand of the regular season, hosting Northeast, Meridian, East Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast over the next two weeks.
Game 1 - #17 Northwest 10, #7 Jones College 0
Northwest tacked on four runs in the top of the first inning, paving the way for Saturday's Game 1 shutout of Jones College.
Jacob Hill scored the first run on a wild pitch, followed by an RBI-single from
Cade Leatherwood, which scored
Peyton Martin. The 2-0 lead was increased with an RBI-single through the left side from Smith, and he later scored on a wild pitch to close out the first inning.
Although the Bobcats' pitching settled in and kept Northwest off the board for the next two innings, the Rangers got another run across in the top of the fourth, thanks to Leatherwood's RBI-single through the right side.Â
Though Jones College got runners aboard in the next couple of innings, Jones managed to keep the Bobcats away from the plate. In the top of the seventh, the Rangers got additional help from
Tyler Pearson's sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 6-0.
Leatherwood made it a 7-0 lead for Northwest in the top of the eighth, thanks to an RBI-single through the left side. The final blow was dealt in the top of the ninth, when the Rangers tacked on three insurance runs, highlighted by a pair of RBI-singles from Hill and
Cade Greer.
Northwest outmatched Jones College, 13-6, in total base hits, led by Leatherwood's 3-for-6 effort. Jones (5-2) tossed seven complete frames and
Jackson Jenkins polished off the shutout with two relief innings, allowing a walk and two hits.
Cole Manuel and Brady Thomas earned two base hits each to lead the Bobcats' effort at the plate. Jones College used five pitchers in the Game 1 loss, including Eli Walker, who fell to 4-1 after allowing five runs and five walks through the first three innings.
Game 2 - #7 Jones College 6, #17 Northwest 5
Despite out-hitting the Bobcats 9-5 in the finale, Northwest surrendered the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth, as Jones College salvaged the split against the Rangers.
Jones College opened the game with a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Gatlin Sanders and Evan Rogers delivered a pair of RBI-singles. However, Northwest responded in the top of the second, thanks to a solo homer to left field from Smith, closing the gap to 2-1.
Rogers' triple in the bottom of the third helped the Bobcats stretch their lead to 4-1, but Smith yet again delivered an RBI base hit to left field and
Matthew Roncalli scored on a wild pitch, bringing Northwest back within a 4-3 margin.
A wild pitch allowed Jones College to gain a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Rangers tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth, as Hill scored on a wild pitch and Martin delivered a ground-rule double to right center.
A wild pitch came back to haunt Northwest in the bottom of the sixth, as Hays Carley scored the go-ahead run for the Bobcats. Though Martin helped the Rangers threaten in the top of the seventh with a leadoff single, Jones College ended the threat quickly with a double play and a flyout to center field.
Hill, Martin and Smith combined for six of the Rangers' nine base hits, while Rogers went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Jones College.
Mason Shropshire fell to 1-2 on the mound, lasting 5.1 frames with two strikeouts against three walks, five earned runs and six wild pitches. Mitze finished off the final two outs for the Rangers.
Andrew Marble started the first 4.2 frames for the Bobcats, striking out three batters against three walks and five earned runs. Brice Deaton (2-0) got the win for Jones College, striking out three batters in 2.1 innings of relief.
