RAYMOND - A wild opening game resulted in an 18-17 loss for Northwest in Friday's twinbill at Hinds, but the Rangers rebounded with a 6-5 decision in the nightcap.
In the first game, both teams combined for 40 base hits, including three apiece from
Hallas Lawson and
Walker Maranto. Out of 16 base hits for Northwest, seven were for extra bases, highlighted by home runs from Maranto and
Lake Reed.
In the nightcap, the Rangers accounted for 14 base hits with Reed finishing 3-for-4 at the plate, followed by two base hits apiece from
Austin Batts,
Mason Gillentine and
Tyler Sullivan.
Eli Deberry (4-0) went the distance on the mound for Northwest, striking out seven batters against five walks and five earned runs.
With the split, the Rangers moved to 22-11 overall and 5-7 in the MACCC. Next up for Northwest is a Tuesday doubleheader at Northeast, scheduled for 3/6 P.M. in Booneville.
Game 1 - Hinds 18, Northwest 17
In a roller-coaster type of game, Northwest had a 14-5 lead slip away, as Hinds scattered 12 runs over the final five innings to earn an 18-17 win.
Both teams combined for 40 base hits, with the Rangers accounting for 24 of those hits. The Eagles also committed four errors.
Northwest started the shenanigans with a run in the top of the first inning, only for Hinds to respond with four runs in the bottom of the first. The Rangers then plated five in the second and six more in the third, jumping out to a 12-4 advantage.
in the bottom of the third, the Eagles slowly began to crawl back in the game, plating a single run and following with another run in the fourth. Northwest did add two more runs in the top of the fourth, but a six-run frame from Hinds trimmed the lead down to 14-12.
Neither team scored in the sixth inning and no one would score again until the bottom of the seventh, when the Eagles scraped across three runs and took a 15-14 lead.
Down to their final three outs in the top of the ninth, the Rangers battled back for three runs, reclaiming a 17-15 advantage. However, the lead was short-lived, as Hinds responded with three runs of its own, walking the game off on a sacrifice fly.
Lawson, Maranto,
Mason Gillentine and
Rob Hayes each finished with a double, and Gillentine added a triple of his own, finishing the game with four RBIs.
Gavin McCoy started the game on the mound for Northwest, pitching 4.1 innings with two strikeouts, three walks and 11 earned runs allowed. Gillentine,
Will Howell and
Thomas Mitchell also threw a combined 4.1 innings of relief, with Mitchell (2-1) taking the loss after allowing the game's final three runs.
Gillentine and Howell issued three strikeouts apiece, but combined to allow four earned runs.
Brody Breithaupt and Aiden Swales led the charge at the plate for the Eagles, with both players finishing 4-for-6. Swales homered and accounted for five RBIs, while Takorre Clowers and Kaleb Lipscomb each finished with a double. Kette Stavely also hit a home run.
Hinds used five pitchers, with none lasting more than 2.2 innings. Kylan Landers (1-1) picked up the win in relief, while Carson Reed started the game with eight hits, nine runs and two walks allowed in 2.1 frames.
Charles Chisolm, Ford McDaniel and Ethan Ross all combined for 4.2 innings of relief, issuing a combined six strikeouts against five walks.
Game 2 - Northwest 6, Hinds 5
Though not as dramatic as the opener, Hinds homered twice in the nightcap, but Deberry gutted out a complete game effort on the mound for Northwest, helping the Rangers salvage the split with a 6-5 win.
Northwest opened the game with two runs in the first and another in the second, taking a 3-0 advantage. The Eagles struck back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second and took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to another two-run frame.
However, the Rangers provided the dagger in the top of the fifth, using a three-run effort to regain a 6-4 advantage. Hinds countered with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Deberry made sure the Eagles got nothing else.
Hinds scattered all six of its hits through the lineup, highlighted by homers from Clowers and Reed McCrillis. Lipscomb also finished with a double for his lone base hit.
Dawson Muenzenmay (0-4) struck out a pair of batters against a walk, while allowing five earned runs on 13 base hits in six complete innings. Cole Stumph pitched an inning of relief for the Eagles, garnering a strikeout and a walk.
