SENATOBIA - After surrendering a 10-4 decision to Holmes in the opener of Wednesday's doubleheader, Northwest survived a late push from the Bulldogs in the nightcap, picking up a 7-6 victory.

McClain Ray (1-0) was given his first collegiate win in the second game, pitching four full innings and striking out three Holmes batters with two walks, but no runs allowed. Brady Stinnett also picked up his first save of the season, tossing the final 1.1 frames, earning three of his four strikeouts in the seventh inning.

At the plate, the Rangers had seven base hits, led by two apiece from Lake Reed. The freshman from Tupelo hit a triple and a home run, accounting for two RBIs.

As for the first game, Northwest fell behind 2-0 after the third inning, but rallied to tie the game at 4-4 in the sixth. However, the Rangers then surrendered six unanswered runs over the final three innings, as Bulldogs' pitcher Ethan Trimble pitched a complete game.

Brennan Jones (1-3) took the loss on the mound and Northwest was held to just six base hits. Mason McMillin highlighted the Rangers' efforts at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI.

With the split, Northwest is now 21-10 on the season and 4-6 in the MACCC. Holmes also sports an identical overall and conference record after both games.

Next up for the Rangers is a Friday road trip to Hinds, scheduled for 2/5 P.M. in Raymond. The games were inititally scheduled for Saturday, but were moved up due to inclement weather concerns.


Game 1 - Holmes 10, Northwest 4

Holmes plated 10 runs on seven base hits and took an early 2-0 lead, as Northwest dropped the opener to the Bulldogs.

Connor McCaslin retired Holmes in order to start the game, but the Rangers were also retired 1-2-3 in return. With one out in the top of the second, a walk issued to Brendan Skirtech and Cade Clinton's hit-by-pitch put a pair of Bulldog runners on base. Another walk with two outs loaded the bases, and a wild pitch scored Skirtech for the game's first run.

Though Northwest limited the damage, Holmes would tack on another run in the third, thanks to a two-out single up the middle from Skirtech. The Rangers finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with Mason Gillentine's solo homer to left field, closing the gap to 2-1.

McCaslin was able to keep the Bulldogs off the board for three straight innings, but three Northwest errors in the top of the sixth helped Holmes score an additional two runs. An error by Jackson Jenkins allowed Clinton to reach base with one out and another error on Levi Lang put two runners on.

A sacrifice fly to right field helped Clinton score, but the Rangers tried to get another runner out at third, leading to another error on the throw and allowing yet another Holmes run to score. Amari Conley flew out to right field to end the inning, but the Bulldogs came away with the 4-1 advantage.

In the next half-inning, the Rangers responded with three runs of their own. Gillentine set up the big inning with a single to right center field and advanced to second base on a passed ball. McMillin then delivered a single up the middle, scoring Gillentine, followed by a two-run homer from Lang that tied the game.

However, momentum swung back in the direction of the Bulldogs in the top of the seventh, as Holmes put two runners on base with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Thanks to Clinton's two-run double to right center, the opponents regained a 6-4 lead.

Trimble retired Northwest in order in the bottom of the seventh and Holmes added to its lead in the eighth, thanks to a two-run homer from Conley and a solo shot from Hunter Azemar. The 9-4 lead held as the Rangers could do nothing in the bottom of the eighth, and Landon Wallace added a parting shot with an RBI-single in the top of the ninth.

McCaslin struck out five and issued four walks with two earned runs allowed before being pulled ahead of the seventh inning. Jones surrendered three earned runs in his lone inning of relief and Tatum Turner finished the final two innings, with two walks and three runs allowed.

Five of the six base hits for Northwest came off the bat of Gillentine or McMillin. Lang's homer in the sixth was the only other hit for the Rangers.

Trimble (2-0) tossed seven strikeouts against a single walk and four earned runs in his complete game effort. Holmes was also led by a 2-for-5 effort from Azemar, which included a home run. 


Game 2 - Northwest 7, Holmes 6

Northwest nearly squandered a 7-0 lead, but Stinnett struck out three batters in the seventh, denying the comeback bid for the Bulldogs.

After Ray sent Holmes down in order to open the game, Gillentine led things off with a double in the bottom of the first. McMillin followed with a single through the left side to score Gillentine, and Reed blasted a two-run homer to left field, pushing the Rangers' lead to 3-0.

Northwest added to the score in the bottom of the second, as Rob Hayes sent a double down the left field line, scoring Jenkins. Leading 4-0 entering the bottom of the third, Walker Maranto crushed a three-run home run to center field, pushing the score to a comfortable 7-0 margin.

However, that comfort began to dissipate in the top of the fifth, as a pair of walks from Tyler Sullivan put two Bulldogs on base. Conley's single to center scored Taylor Kuhn and Will McClure scored on the throw, cutting the Rangers' lead to 7-2.

Holmes wasn't finished in the fifth inning though, as Nicolas Schwing poked a single through the right side, allowing Conley to score, further closing the gap.

Northwest limited the damage in the top of the fifth and Reed tripled with one out in the home half of the inning. However, the Rangers left empty-handed after grounding out to third and second base, respectively.

Despite issuing a pair of strikeouts to open the top of the sixth, Northwest struggled again with the Bulldogs' lineup. Kuhn singled to right field and the next three batters were hit by Sullivan, loading the bases and scoring Kuhn. A bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch allowed two additional runs to score, pulling Holmes within 7-6, before Stinnett struck out Azemar to end the inning.

Jenkins drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but the next three Rangers were struck out looking. Though Stinnett issued a leadoff walk to Xavier Myles, the Oxford native bounced back with three strikeouts, salvaging the split for Northwest.

Both teams combined for 12 hits, including seven from the Rangers. Reed went 2-for-2 at the plate with a triple and a home run, finishing with two RBIs, while Gillentine and Hayes accounted for doubles in their only base hits.

On the mound, Ray scattered three strikeouts against two walks with no runs allowed. For the Bulldogs, John Paul Buckner (4-2) went the distance, earning seven strikeouts against two walks with six earned runs allowed.

Holmes scattered all five of its base hits throughout the lineup, but none were for extra bases. Read Full Article