JACKSON - Behind strong outings on the mound from
Tyler Sullivan and
Connor McCaslin, Northwest picked up a pair of 2-1 and 7-0 victories against Coahoma and Hinds on Tuesday afternoon.
Sullivan went six full innings in the win against Coahoma, while
Eli Deberry came in for the save in the seventh. McCaslin struck out seven batters in four full frames against Hinds, while
Brennan Jones and
Gideon Deaton preserved the shutout in three combined innings of relief.
Meanwhile, the Rangers also combined for 16 hits on the day, including 11 in the win against the Eagles.
Mason McMillin went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the nightcap, while Northwest scattered five hits across the lineup against Coahoma.
Now riding a five-game winning streak, the Rangers improved to 9-3 on the season. Northwest is scheduled to return to competition this weekend, hosting Illinois Central for a three-game series on February 22-23. Two games will be played on Saturday at 1/4 P.M., with the finale scheduled for 1 P.M. on Sunday.
Game 1 - Northwest 2, Coahoma 1
Hits were hard to come by for Northwest and Coahoma, as the two teams combined for just nine hits in a 2-1 victory for the Rangers.
Both teams were held scoreless through the first three innings, until McMillin and
Levi Lang led off the top of the fourth with back-to-back base hits. After a wild pitch advanced the runners,
Walker Maranto scored McMillin on an RBI groundout to second base.
Rob Hayes then drew a walk and
Hallas Lawson's grounder to the shortstop scored Lang from third, giving Northwest the 2-0 lead.
Coahoma responded in the next half inning with a two-out double from Kari Michaels and an RBI base hit from Drew Tutor closed the gap to 2-1.
Neither team would score the rest of the way, though both the Rangers and Tigers made noise in the seventh. After Coahoma hit two Northwest batters and allowed a single from
Meyer Maddox in the top of the seventh, the Rangers loaded the bases, only to strikeout and hit into a double play to end the inning.
Deberry led off the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout of Andrew Paysinger, but the Tigers managed to load the bases with three walks. However, Coahoma was caught attempting to steal third and Ian Erbe struck out to end the game.
Neither team had a player finish with more than one base hit, but the bigger story was the pitching efforts of both teams. Sullivan (1-0) struck out two batters with an earned run, four hits and no walks allowed, while Deberry notched his first career save.
Hunter Hill lasted five complete innings for the Tigers, issuing two strikeouts, two walks, two earned runs and four base hits. Zach Connell and Colyn West combined for a strikeout and only one hit surrendered over the final two innings.
Game 2 - Northwest 7, Hinds 0
Northwest came out swinging early in the nightcap against Hinds, scoring three runs in the first and two apiece in the sixth and seventh innings.
Though the Eagles quickly collected two outs in the top of the first, an error at third base paved the way for a single from Lang and a two-run double from
Mason McMillin.
Jackson Jenkins followed with a single to right field, scoring McMillin and giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead.
Hinds led off the bottom of the first with a double, but the Eagles hit into a groundout and a pair of strikeouts against McCaslin, stranding two runners to end the frame.
Both pitching staffs settled in over the next four innings, but Hinds was still unable to cut into the deficit. Northwest made things worse for the Eagles in the top of the sixth, when an error by the shortstop allowed McMillin to reach base. From there, Jenkins was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Hayes.
After another error loaded the bases,
Austin Batts drove in a run on a single to right field and Maddox' sacrifice fly scored Jenkins, extending the lead to 5-0.
Hinds led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple, but Jones retired the Eagles in order after that. Northwest followed with four straight base hits in the top of the seventh, and a fielder's choice to second base allowed Lang and McMillin to score, pushing the Rangers' lead to 7-0.
Although Hinds led off with a single in the bottom of the seventh, Deaton settled in to collect the final three outs and preserve the shutout win. McCaslin (2-0) got the win on the mound for the Rangers, while Dawson Muenzenmay was handed the loss for the Eagles, despite three strikeouts and five unearned runs allowed over six complete innings.
At the plate, Northwest was led by McMillin's 3-for-4 effort with a double and two RBIs, while Jenkins, Lang and
Walker Sanders accounted for two base hits each. Zan Ellis went 2-for-2 to lead Hinds, while Kaleb Lipscomb and Graham Busbea were credited with a double and a triple, respectively.
