ELLISVILLE - Facing top-ranked Jones College on the road to open MACCC competition, No. 9 Northwest dropped a pair of 11-9 and 9-1 finals to the Bobcats on Tuesday afternoon.
Sophomore
Sommer Tyes helped keep the Rangers within striking distance in the opener, as her two home runs and six RBIs allowed Northwest to battle back from an early deficit. In the finale, Northwest had a 1-0 lead until the third inning, when Jones College tied the game and combined for eight runs over the final two frames.
Morgen Brewton and
Abby Rogers were handed losses in the circle for the Rangers, as the Bobcats combined for 24 base hits.
Northwest dropped to 17-3 overall and 0-2 in the MACCC, suffering its first sweep of the season. Jones College moved to 26-3 on the season and 4-0 within conference play.
Thursday will provide an opportunity for the Rangers to bounce back, as Northwest is scheduled to face National Park College at 2/4 P.M. Both games are slated to air on
Ranger TV.
Game 1 - #1 Jones College 11, #9 Northwest 9
Northwest was charged with five errors and fell behind in an early 6-0 hole in the second inning, before rallying back for a close finish in an 11-9 loss to Jones College.
Trouble started early in the bottom of the first for the Rangers, when Makynlie Jones sent a solo homer to left field in just the second at-bat of the game for the Bobcats. Emily Mizelle followed with a two-out homer to right center, giving Jones College the early 2-0 advantage.
Tyes led off the top of the second by reaching first on an error, advancing all the way to third base as a result. However, Northwest fell victim to a pair of strikeouts and a ground out to third, leaving the frame empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Jones College broke things open in the home half of the second, as a base hit and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Like the inning before, Jones blasted another homer, this time a grand slam to right center, pushing the Bobcats' lead to 6-0.
From there, the Rangers started to rally in the top of the third, as
Marleigh Mancini and
Thenya Kennedy drew a pair of walks.
Ellie Fryar then doubled to right field, plating Mancini for the first Northwest run, and
Carly Dunigan's single up the middle closed the gap to 6-2.
With two outs on the board,
Addison Owen loaded the bases with a walk and
Emma Jennings was hit by a pitch, scoring Fryar from third.
Lulu Franks went down swinging to end the frame, but the Rangers kept Jones College off the board in the home half of the third, keeping the score within reach at 6-3.
Northwest was retired in order in the fourth inning and an error at second base in the next half-inning allowed the Bobcats to scrape an additional run across.
In the fifth, the Rangers pulled within a run as singles from Fryar and Dunigan preceded a three-run homer from Tyes, closing the gap to 7-6. However, a pitching change for Jones College got the Bobcats out of the frame with no further damage done.
Northwest got two quick outs in the bottom of the fifth, but three Ranger errors helped keep the inning going for Jones College. The Bobcats used a pair of base hits and a walk to load the bases, and Jones' single to left field brought in a run. Jayden Sawyer followed with a two-run single up the middle, stretching the lead to 10-6.
A walk and an error set up one more run for Jones College, as Northwest trailed 11-6 going to the sixth inning. Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, but a walk to Fryar kickstarted a glimmer of hope for the Rangers in the top of the seventh.
Dunigan followed with a single and Tyes homered to right center, closing the gap to 11-9. However, the Bobcats retired the next three batters in order, denying the comeback for Northwest.
Brewton lasted just 1.2 frames for the Rangers, falling to 9-1 in the circle.
Catelyn Brown tossed the next three innings, allowing two earned runs and a strikeout, while Rogers gave up an earned run and a pair of walks over the final 1.1 frames.
Dunigan went 3-for-4 at the plate for Northwest, which finished with seven base hits. Fryar and Tyes accounted for the remaining four hits, earning two apiece.
Ava Prejean (10-0) earned the win in the circle for the Bobcats, striking out five batters against three walks and six earned runs. Anna Grace Whitehead was credited with the save, scattering three runs over the final three innings.
Jones went 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs, leading the Bobcats' efforts at the plate. Jones College finished with 11 base hits total, with Sawyer and Laney Little accounting for two hits each.
Game 2 - #1 Jones College 9, #9 Northwest 1 (5 inn.)
Northwest came out with the early advantage in the nightcap, but Jones College got eight of its nine runs over the fourth and fifth innings, picking up the run-rule win against the Rangers.
Carleigh Calarco's single to center field in the top of the second put Northwest ahead 1-0, but Sawyer tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI-double to left field.
Jenn Smith led off the top of the fourth with a single, but the Rangers were unable to do anything more. A leadoff single by Little helped the Bobcats break the game open in the bottom of the fourth, as Jones' single through the left side brought in the go-ahead run.
A fielder's choice in Sawyer's at-bat allowed another run to score and Mizelle's three-run homer to left center widened the Jones College advantage to 6-1.
Northwest went down quietly in the top of the fifth, and Little doubled to lead off the bottom half of the inning. Claire Anderson followed with a single and Jones walked it off with a three-run homer to left field.
Rogers (5-1) struck out three batters over 3.1 innings in the starting role, but the sophomore also allowed three walks and six total runs. Brewton pitched the final inning of relief, surrendering three earned runs and finishing with a strikeout.
Smith went 2-for-2 at the plate and the Rangers finished with seven base hits in the loss. Owen also doubled in her lone base hit.
Breelyn Cain went the distance for Jones College, improving to 6-3 in the circle with four strikeouts and no walks. The Bobcats also finished with 13 base hits, led by Jones' 4-for-4 effort and three base hits from Andersen.
