CLARKSDALE – It was a big day for the #25 Northwest Mississippi Community College baseball team as the improved to 22-11 overall and 9-3 in conference play and moving into a tie with #3 Jones College (26-9, 9-3) in the conference standings at the midway point of the season after taking a pair from Coahoma Community College (9-23, 2-12) on Tuesday afternoon.

Game one was a runaway for the Rangers, picking up a nine-run fifth inning on the way to a 14-6 win before rallying from down 3-1 to win 4-3 in extra innings in game two to pick up the sweep in the double header.

"Give them credit. Coahoma played well and pitched well and we had to find some ways to win," Head Coach Mark Carson said. "Kind busted loose in game one and had a chance to run rule them and let that get away but we got some guys some work in that we needed to get out there. Then in game two their guy just did a really good job and we never did figure him out until the end."

GAME 1 – NWCC 14 Coahoma 6

The Rangers struck first in the opening game after three straight singles from Walker Sanders, Mason McMillin, and Barrett McKenney plated a run with two outs before the Tigers were able to escape the jam two batters later.

Derrin Randle took to the mound for Northwest in the bottom of the first, and after seeing the first three batters get on base, including a two-run single to give Coahoma the lead at 2-1, the Lake Cormorant freshman shut down the next three batters with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to keep it at just a one run game.

Randle continued to put up zeros for the next four innings, keeping the Tigers at bay and finishing with seven strikeouts and he would leave with the lead after the Northwest offense picked up more runs in the top fourth and fifth innings.

The first blow to Coahoma would come from John Whit Snopek in the fourth when his single to left would bring home both Corey Watkins and Caleb Doty to give the Rangers the lead at 3-2.

Then the barn door would blow in for the Tigers in the top of the fifth as the Rangers piled on with nine runs. A leadoff double would be followed by a hit batter and a walk to load the bases, and a wild pitch would score McKenney to make it 4-2. A single by Mason Gillentine scored South McCoy, and a passed ball would bring home Watkins for his second run of the game to make it 6-2.

Northwest reloaded the bases with a walk to Snopek, and another run would score with a walk to Sanders to make it 7-2. A strikeout by McMillin gave Coahoma hope of getting through the inning, but McKenney walked on his next trip to the plate to bring across a fifth run in the inning.

McCoy picked up another two RBIs with a single through the left side of the infield which scored Sanders and Snopek and Doty would shoot a double to left to bring home two more and give Northwest a 12-2 lead.

The Rangers showed their patience when they were at the plate, with only four total hits in the inning, picking up six runners on walks and hit batters, and Carson said that is a good sign of the maturity of the team.

"Taking what they give you. They are going to walk guys and make errors, and you have to make them pay. That's part of the game and the patience of our hitters to draw walks and not get coaxed into swinging at a 3-1 ball just because you are eager to hit, that did help produce the big inning."

After Coahoma was finally able to escape the inning with a strikeout, Northwest just put their scoring on pause for until the top of the sixth saw Snopek drive out his fourth home run of the season to increase the cushion to 14-2 going into the bottom of the sixth.

Will Howell entered the game and after pitching a scoreless sixth, had a chance to close the game out in the seventh but the Tigers were able to rally for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to extend the game, chasing Howell out for McCoy on the mound who would get out of the inning with a strikeout and a self-started double play.

McCoy went on to retire six of the next seven Tigers on the way to three innings of relief to pick up the three-inning save for his fifth of the season in eleven appearances on the mound.

"He's effective. You are going to get a strike thrower and he's going to be compete like crazy," Carson said.

The win went to Randle for his first of his career, going five innings in his longest appearance of the season and Carson said he continues to get better every time he takes the mound.

"I thought Derrin was the best he's been. His velocity was up and he just keeps going out there and going longer and his strikes are going up."

GAME 2 – NWCC 4 Coahoma 3 (8 Innings)

Northwest was in a much different game in the back half of the double header, not finding themselves in front until the final inning as the Tigers went to Conner Timbs who would pitch into the seventh inning, holding the Rangers to just one run over the first six.

Doty picked up the start for the Rangers on the mound, and he went inning for inning with the Coahoma starter, only getting touched up with an RBI single in the bottom of the second and a two-out two-run double in the bottom of the sixth before his day would close.

"Doty was Doty," Carson said. "He's not going to blow you away but he's going to throw a second pitch for a strike, and he just kept us in the game. Had it not been for that we might not have won the ballgame."

The Rangers would have his back, answering the Tigers in the top of the third with an RBI double from Sanders to score Preston Johnson and even the game at one, and scoring twice in the top of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

The rally in the seventh was sparked with a walk to lead off the inning to McCoy and he would score from first on a single by Hayes Hooker with one out to cut the lead to 3-2. After a Snopek single advanced Hooker to third, Gillentine would bring home Josh Pena, who had been inserted to pinch run, with a sacrifice fly to right and even the game at three all.

"We had three freshmen with big hits," Carson said of the late rally. "Preston Johnson had a big hit, Barrett McKenney had a big hit and then Lightsey had the big hit to dive him in, and that's good for those freshmen moving forward."

After Johnson was brought into the game to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, working around a leadoff double thanks to a smart bit of defense on a sacrifice bunt that turned into a double play and a ground ball to short to end the inning, the offense put together another two out rally after McKenney reached on a double and was brought home on an Evan Lightsey single to make it 4-3 going to the bottom of the eighth.

Johnson was left in the game and got a ground ball and two strikeouts to finish the sweep for Northwest, picking up his team leading fifth win in the process.

UP NEXT –

The Rangers will continue their week of road action with a trip to Southwest Mississippi Community College (23-15, 7-7) to do battle with the Bears on Friday afternoon. Game times are scheduled for 2 and 5 P.M. from Summit and the SMCC Baseball Stadium.

Keep up with Northwest baseball news and schedule updates by visiting nwccrangers.com or by following Ranger social media accounts.