SENATOBIA – The #20 Northwest Mississippi Community College softball team opened their season with a pair of convincing wins over Jackson State Community College (TN) on Monday, taking down the Jays 7-1 in the opener before closing out the double header sweep with a 9-1 win in game two.
"Feels good to get the rust off and the jitters out. After being cooped up for so long it's definitely rusty but we are getting off to a good start," Head Coach Chelsea Bramlett said of the opening sweep.
"Obviously it's been good to be out here on the field, expecially after being cooped up in the house for two weeks with the snow and everything, but I thought we came out and did what we needed to," Carleigh Calarco said.
GAME 1
Northwest led from wire to wire in the opening game of the season after having to postpone their opening weekend of games due to ice and winter weather. Even as it was, the Rangers were playing the games at the Senatobia Sports Park due to ice in their dugouts.
NWCC picked up runs in the first and second innings on a ground out by Londen Armstrong scoring Ava Claire Rhoden and a single by Lindsey Gillis that brought home Mary Madison Kelley.
The game was broken open in the third inning when the Rangers exploded for a five running inning that was opened with a two-run single by Kelley that brought home Lillianna Cates and Calarco to make it 4-0.
Two more runs would score after a double by Gillis plated Hadley McAtee and Kelley and the inning was closed with Gillis scoring on a double to right center field by Allyson Christmas.
The only run of the game for Jackson State would come on an RBI walk in the top of the sixth inning against Kate Johnson who came in for two innings of relief work for Catelyn Brown.
Brown would earn the win in the season opener with five innings of shutout work, striking out six while only giving up a pair of hits and Bramlett said she has been working hard to improve her game coming into this year and will be a big piece for the team.
"She is a completely different pitcher from what she was last year. She has always had spin and movement but she's learned to command it this year and command herself on the mound too. The defense has played really good behind her and the offense is obviously producing runs so far."
GAME 2
The firepower from the opening game carried over for the Rangers into their second game as they started off quickly with a 6-0 lead by the end of the second inning, getting off to a bang on a Calarco home run that plated Emma Jennings.
"Honestly I didn't even know that I hit it." Calarco said. "I just tried to make contact and if it goes, it goes. I just try to pass the bat and what happens happens."
Jennings would follow suit with an inside the park grand slam that cleared the bases and scored Cates, Gillis, and Rhoden.
After not plating any runs in the third, Northwest went back to work in the bottom of the fourth when Rhoden picked up her first RBI of the year on an infield single that plated Cates. One batter later, Jennings singled on the infield to score Gillis. A third run would come on a ground out by McAtee to bring home Rhoden for her second run of the game.
That put the run rule into effect and despite scoring once in the top of the fifth inning, Jackson State was not able to extend the game into the sixth inning and the Rangers moved to 2-0.
"It was definitely a confidence booster," Bramlett said of the offense getting more extra-base hits in the second game, saying they trusted their process. "Sometimes we can try to do too much and so just going for the singles and moving base by base because the double, the triples, the home runs will come. We have to start small."
Meredith Dearman would finish her first collegiate victory with 4.2 innings of work before giving way to Johnson for the final out. She would tally eight strikeouts while working around six hits and four walks.
Northwest will be on the road in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Friday and Saturday with a double header against Motlow State Community College and Pensacola State College before closing the tournament against Gulf Coast State Community College and Reid State Community College on Saturday.
Keep up with the upcoming schedules for the Ranger softball team as well as all news by visiting nwccrangers.com or by following Northwest social media accounts.
