JACKSON, Tenn. - There were no shortage of base hits for Northwest in Friday's non-conference sweep at Jackson State (Tenn.), as the 10th-ranked Rangers combined for 29 hits in a pair of five-inning run-rule victories.
Northwest picked up a 13-0 win in the opener, thanks to another shutout win in the circle from
Morgen Brewton (9-0). In the finale, the Rangers scored a 14-6 win against the GreenJays, improving to 17-1 on the season.
Four players finished with two hits apiece in the shutout victory, as Northwest came away with 12 base hits. Four of the Rangers' hits resulted in doubles for
Ellie Fryar,
Emma Jennings,
Marleigh Mancini and
Sommer Tyes.
In the nightcap, Jackson State (Tenn.) earned nine base hits, but were outmatched by 17 hits from Northwest. Freshman catcher
Kylie Frost went 4-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs, followed by a 3-for-3 effort from
Carly Dunigan, which included a pair of doubles and an RBI.
Catelyn Brown (2-1) earned the win in the circle for the Rangers, while
Abby Rogers also picked up three strikeouts in 1.2 frames of relief.
Northwest will finally begin MACCC competition on Tuesday, March 11, as the Rangers visit top-ranked Jones College. The Lady Bobcats (24-3, 2-0 MACCC) got an early jump on conference play with a 7-0 and 7-4 sweep of East Central over the weekend.
Tuesday's games are scheduled for 3/5 P.M. in Ellisville, with live broadcast coverage available on
jcbobcats.com/watch.
Game 1 - #10 Northwest 13, Jackson State (Tenn.) 0 (5 inn.)
It took a little while for Northwest to get going in Friday's opening game at Jackson State (Tenn.), but after a two-run frame in the top half of the third inning, the Rangers exploded for a combined 11 runs over the next two innings.
Northwest left two runners stranded in the top of the first inning and grounded into a double play to end the second, but a pair of leadoff walks in the third inning helped pave the way for the Rangers to break up the scoreless draw.
Fryar's single to left field loaded the bases and Dunigan was hit by a pitch to bring in
Jenn Smith from third.
Addison Owen then grounded into a fielder's choice, allowing Fryar to score and giving Northwest a 2-0 lead.
Jackson State (Tenn.) threatened a response in the bottom of the third, leading off the frame with a double. However, Brewton navigated through the inning with a strikeout and forced two fly outs to leave the GreenJays empty-handed.
Northwest then loaded the bases to open the fourth inning, thanks to three straight singles from Mancini, Smith and
Lulu Franks. Fryar then drove in two runs on a double to center field and Dunigan's sacrifice fly to right field pushed the Rangers' lead to 6-0.
Things went from bad to worse for the GreenJays in the top of the fifth, as two errors put Franks and Mancini on base. Smith's fielder's choice allowed Mancini to score and
Thenya Kennedy's single to third extended the lead to 8-0.
With two outs,
Sommer Tyes doubled to left field to plate two more runs and a dropped third strike allowed
Carleigh Calarco to reach, scoring Tyes. Mancini closed out the inning with a double to left field, widening the gap to 13-0.
Rogers then entered the circle in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the Jackson State (Tenn.) order and sealing the run-rule victory.
Brewton tossed four complete innings, striking out seven batters against a single walk and four hits allowed.Â
Jackson State (Tenn.) was held to four base hits and Madelyn Cornelius was handed the loss in the circle.
Game 2 - #10 Northwest 14, Jackson State (Tenn.) 6 (5 inn.)
Northwest scored half of its runs in the top half of the second inning and scattered seven more over the next three frames, as the Rangers left with the sweep against Jackson State (Tenn.).
Dunigan led off the top of the first with a double, but the Rangers were unable to score until the second inning. Owen kickstarted the top of the second with a single to third base and Frost followed with a single to left field. With two outs, Smith drew a walk to load the bases and Kennedy cleared the bags with a three-run double to center.
Fryar and Tyes followed with home runs, stretching the lead to 7-0. After holding the GreenJays scoreless in the bottom of the second, Frost and Smith delivered a pair of doubles, inching the score to an 8-0 margin.
Jackson State (Tenn.) finally responded with a two-run frame in the home half of the third, as Ivy Knight started off the inning with a single. A double from Nya Reno and a two-run double from Jocelyn Lee brought the GreenJays back within six, only for Northwest to tack on three more runs in the top of the fourth.
Courtney Lynch's triple led off the bottom of the fourth and Gracie Ausley brought her across the plate on a grounder to third base. With the bases loaded, Jackson State (Tenn.) cleared the bags with a three-run double from Reno, closing the gap to 11-6.
However, the Rangers wasted no time answering back with a three-run top of the fifth. Owen singled to right field, scoring Mancini and a two-run double to left field from Frost helped Northwest gain the 14-6 advantage.
With Rogers in the circle, the GreenJays went down swinging with a ground out and a pair of strikeouts, confirming yet another run-rule victory for the Rangers.
Northwest finished with 17 base hits, sparked by four from Frost and three from Dunigan. Fryar, Owens and Tyes each finished with two, and nine of the Rangers' base hits were for extra bases.
Brown pitched three complete frames for Northwest, striking out five batters against three walks and two earned runs.Â
Jackson State (Tenn.) finished with nine base hits in the finale, led by two apiece from Lee, Knight and Reno. Brea Martin was handed the loss for the GreenJays, surrendering eight runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout. Carmen Ward also pitched two innings of relief, giving up six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.
