DECATUR - Despite a grueling 12-4 loss in Saturday's opener at No. 6 East Central, Northwest battled back for a 6-4 victory in the nightcap.
Tyler Sullivan (5-1) pitched 6.1 innings in the win and
Brady Stinnett captured his fourth save of the season. At the plate, the Rangers were out-hit by a 7-6 margin, but
Austin Batts and
Mason McMillin accounted for four of the team's base hits.
In the opener, Northwest fell behind 5-0 in the first inning and never fully recovered.
Walker Maranto went 2-for-3 with a double and
Mason Gillentine threw an effective 1.1 frames of relief, striking out two and allowing no runs.
With the split, the Rangers concluded the regular season at 31-18 overall and 14-14 inside the MACCC. Currently ninth in the MACCC standings, Northwest will await the outcome of Tuesday's games to determine the team's postseason fate.
Game 1 - #6 East Central 12, Northwest 4
Northwest allowed 11 base hits and surrendered five runs in the bottom of the first inning, as East Central ran away with the series opener.
Both teams depleted the bullpens in the opener, with a combined 11 pitchers seeing action.
Will Howell (1-2), the Rangers' starter, lasted just 0.1 frames and surrendered all five of the Warriors' first-inning runs.
Freshman
Tatum Turner went the longest on the mound for Northwest, striking out three batters and allowing three runs and three walks over the span of three full innings. Gillentine,
Gideon Deaton and
Drew Lamb pieced together the remaining frames.
Though the Rangers got two on the board in the top of the third, East Central tacked on three more in the home half of the same inning, stretching its lead to 8-2. Northwest would add a run in each of the sixth and seventh innings, but the Warriors answered with two in both frames, staying well ahead into the ninth.
East Central used six pitchers, with Cade Morrow earning the win after dishing out two strikeouts against a walk and a base hit in three complete innings. No other Warrior pitcher lasted longer than two innings.
At the plate, five players accounted for 10 of East Central's 11 base hits. Jayden Adcox, Nic Arender, Langston Cotten, Ryan Nelson and Barret Rodgers finished with two hits each, including a home run from Nelson and doubles from Arender and Cotten.
Game 2 - Northwest 6, East Central 4
A four-run output in the top of the second inning helped Northwest take a notable lead, and the Rangers withstood a seventh-inning rally to hold on for the victory.
East Central led 1-0 in the first inning and after a lightning delay, the Northwest batters caught lightning in a bottle, picking up four runs in the top of the second inning. An additional run in the top of the third helped the Rangers widen the gap to 5-1.
Though the Warriors gained a run back in the home half of the third inning, Northwest countered with another run in the top of the fifth and took a 6-2 advantage into the bottom of the seventh.
Down to its final two outs, East Central battled back, reaching base on back-to-back singles and driving in a run, thanks to an error in right field. As Stinnett took the mound in relief, the freshman issued a strikeout before allowing another RBI-single, trimming the lead to 6-4.
After a walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Stinnett locked in and delivered a strikeout on Arender's at-bat, ending the game in favor of the Rangers.
Sullivan struck out three batters against three walks and three earned runs in 6.1 total innings, picking up the win for Northwest. East Central used five pitchers in the loss, with Trae Winn being handed the losing decision with two strikeouts, three walks and three earned runs allowed.
