DECATUR, Ala. - After being sidelined for two weeks due to continued inclement weather, the Northwest softball team finally returned to the field on Tuesday afternoon, leaving with a road split against Calhoun.
In both games, the Rangers had a chance to rally in the top of the seventh inning, successfully completing the comeback for a 3-2 win in the opener. However, luck wasn't on the side of Northwest in the finale, as the Rangers left the bases loaded in a 4-1 loss.
Sophomore
Morgen Brewton (4-0) tossed 6.1 innings in the opener, issuing five strikeouts with no walks allowed, before
Abby Rogers entered in relief to earn the save. In the nightcap, freshman
Catelyn Brown (1-1) pitched three full innings with four strikeouts, and was handed her first loss of the season.
Hits were hard to come by for Northwest in the doubleheader, as the Rangers were limited to just nine on the day, with seven of those coming in the opener. Freshman
Emma Jennings went 2-for-5 and
Sommer Tyes finished 1-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs. Additionally,
Addison Owen also finished 3-for-6 at the plate, including a 3-for-3 effort in the opener.
Now 7-1 on the season, Northwest is scheduled to be back in action in the Hinds JUCO Classic on February 21-22 in Vicksburg. Weather permitting, the Rangers will play four games against Coastal Alabama-North, SAU Tech, 12th-ranked LSU-Eunice and No. 21 Parkland College.
Game 1 - Northwest 3, Calhoun 2
Calhoun hammered out 10 hits and led 2-0 through five complete innings, before a homer from Tyes helped spark a three-run rally in a 3-2 comeback win for Northwest.
Although the Warhawks started the game with the lead, it was the Rangers that had a chance to strike first. Northwest loaded the bases in the top of the second, but Kaylee Williams got out the jam with an inning-ending strikeout.
Though Brewton would send Calhoun down in order in the bottom of the second, the Warhawks started off the next frame with five straight base hits. With two outs and a run on the board, Calhoun used an RBI base hit from Abigail Tucker, stretching the lead to 2-0.
Owen provided a single in the top of the fourth and Jennings was hit by a pitch, as the Rangers put two on base. However, Williams issued another inning-ending strikeout to keep Northwest off the board.
Brewton retired the side over her next two innings, keeping the Rangers in striking distance. Finally, a leadoff solo homer from Tyes got Northwest going in the top of the sixth, her third home run of the season. Back-to-back base hits from Owen and Jennings put the tying and go-ahead runs at the plate, and Owen would come around on a stolen base, tying the game at 2-2.
Though the Rangers failed to take the lead in the top of the sixth, Brewton once again retired the Warhawks in order to keep the game tied.
Ellie Fryar led off the top of the seventh with a single, advancing two bases on a sacrifice bunt from
Carly Dunigan. A sacrifice fly from Tyes sent Fryar across the plate for the go-ahead run.
Calhoun tried to respond in the bottom of the seventh and three straight singles from the Warhawks loaded the bases with one out. Northwest successfully defended a fielder's choice, as Fryar and
Kylie Frost teamed up to tag out the lead runner, and Rogers issued a strikeout of Macy Hancock to end the game.
Northwest finished with seven hits in the contest, led by Owen's 3-for-3 effort and a 2-for-4 effort from Fryar. Rogers earned the save in 0.2 innings of relief with a strikeout, no walks and no runs allowed.
Calhoun finished with 10 hits, led by two hits each from Erin Barker, Keara Hall, Kenley Holcombe and Maci Humber. Williams was issued the loss, despite a complete game outing with eight strikeouts, four walks, three earned runs and seven hits allowed.
Game 2 - Calhoun 4, Northwest 1
Calhoun scattered runs across the third, fourth and sixth innings, and Northwest saw its rally come up short in the seventh, as the Rangers were handed their first loss of the season.
Northwest was held to just two hits in the loss, one off of Dunigan and another from Jennings. Meanwhile, the Warhawks finished with six hits, two apiece from Humber and Tucker.
Calhoun retired the Rangers in each of the first three innings, while the Warhawks picked up a base hit in the first and second innings. In the bottom of the third, Calhoun finally broke through with a two-out, two-run home run from Hancock, followed by a double from Humber and an RBI base hit from Tucker in the bottom of the fourth, as Northwest fell behind 3-0.
Lulu Franks gave the Rangers a glimmer of life in the top of the fifth, drawing a leadoff walk. However, a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to first base stopped Northwest from getting on the scoreboard.
An error in the bottom of the sixth helped the Warhawks add yet another run, as the Rangers fell behind 4-0. Down to its last three outs, Northwest began to stage a comeback in the top of the seventh, as Dunigan reached on an error and Franks drew another walk.
With two outs in the frame, Jennings delivered a single to load the bases and a passed ball allowed Dunigan to score, closing the gap to 4-1. With the tying run on first base,
Kylie Frost worked the count to 2-2, before Bronwyn Borden issued the strikeout and preserved the win for Calhoun.
Borden pitched a complete game for the Warhawks, striking out five batters against three walks and an unearned run. Brown was handed the loss for Northwest, but surrendered only one earned run, while Rogers tossed the final three innings, allowing just one unearned run.
