SENATOBIA – It was a big day on the offensive side of the ball for the #20 Northwest Mississippi Community College softball team (19-10, 11-3) as they picked up a pair of run rule victories over Coahoma Community College (0-30, 0-16) on Tuesday afternoon at the Ranger Softball Fields.
Game one was a runaway victory from the start with the Rangers piling up nine first inning runs on the way to a 12-2 win before picking up an 8-0 win in the finale of the double header.
"We made some good adjustments which I was really proud of, especially in game two," Head Coach Chelsea Bramlett said adding that the rally to shorten game two with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning is good to see. "As young as we are, for us to be able to play tight and be able to come through in clutch moments has been really big and will help us in the playoffs."
GAME 1 – NWCC 12 Coahoma 2
The Rangers looked to Catelyn Brown in the circle to start off the day the right way, and the sophomore starter responded well, not allowing a hit to the Tigers until the third inning and only giving up two baserunners through the first two frames, and the only run against her coming on an un-earned run in the top of the third inning after a leadoff batter reached base on an error.
Meanwhile, the Northwest offense gave her all the runs she would need in the bottom of the first inning when they ripped off nine runs, aided by four errors in the inning, but also powered along by three triples, two doubles, and a pair of singles to secure the big early advantage.
The action kicked off with Ava Claire Rhoden reaching on an error by the third baseman, and she was followed by a single from Handley McAtee, and would score the opening run on a misplayed fielder's choice by the shortstop which made it 1-0.
Back-to-back triples from Lillianna Cates and Carleigh Calarco made it 3-0 and another run would score on an error on a fielder's choice by the Tigers shortstop.
After a double by Londen Armstrong, Mary Madison Kelley hit a sacrifice fly to plate a fifth run and another double from Lindsey Gillis and a third triple in the inning by Emma Jennings increased the lead to 7-0 as the lineup turned over to Rhoden for a second time. She would plate Jennings on a groundout, reaching herself after a fourth error by the Tigers, and scoring a ninth run when Cates grounded out to shortstop later in the inning.
The Rangers added another run to make it 10-0 in the bottom of the second after Kelley reached on a single with two outs and was driven home by Aubrey Massing who had come in as a defensive replacement for Gillis in the top of the second inning.
Another run was added in the bottom of the third with Calarco picking up her second RBI of the day, driving in McAtee with a single to make it 11-1, and Northwest capitalized on a error in the bottom of the fourth for their 12th run of the game when McAtee picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded.
The final two innings in the circle were given to Kate Johnson, and the freshman out of Hernando gave up a double and a single to the first two batters she faced, allowing Coahoma to cut the lead to 11-2 at the time, but retired six of the next seven batters to close the win for Northwest in a run-ruled five inning game with a 12-2 final score.
Brown would pick up the win for her sixth of the season and fourth straight after starting the year 2-5.
GAME 2 – NWCC 8 Coahoma 0
Johnson was giving the ball for game two and kept up her success against the Tigers, stranding a pair of runners in the top of the first inning and leaving another on base in the top of the second while the Ranger offense found itself against Coahoma's Kimora Bouldin in the circle.
After a double play got the Tigers out of the first inning when Calarco hit a sharp ground ball right to third, Northwest picked up the opening run of the game in the second inning on a RBI double from Armstrong to score Sela Mancini who had led off the inning with a walk.
Two more runs came home to score in the second when Mancini drove a full count pitch over the left field fence for her team leading third home run of the season to make it 3-0.
"(Our offense) is really a breath of fresh air, because you can go out there knowing you have room," Johnsons said of the offense on the day, putting up 20 total runs between the two games in just eight innings of at-bats.
The big blow came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jennings reached base with one out and sparked five straight Rangers reaching base on four singles and an error. By the innings end, it has resulted in all five runs for the Rangers and the run rule being put into effect going into the top of the fifth inning.
Johnson gave up a double and a single to the first two batters she faced, and Meredith Dearman was called on for the final three outs with a chance to shorten the game, and the freshman would strike out two of the next three around a pop out to second to close out the game and give the Rangers the sweep.
"(Dearman) throws gas," Johnson said praising her teammate in relief. "I love her and we're really close. I'm thankful that the pitching staff is really close and we have full faith in each other that we can go out and do that."
The win went to Johnson and was the first of the freshman's career after going four innings of scoreless play, only allowing one run in her six total innings on the day.
"It feels good," Johnson said of getting the win. "I'm thankful that Coach Bramlett is giving me the opportunity. I really just needed to settle in and I felt like I did that. I have a good defense that plays really well behind me so I'm thankful for that."
UP NEXT –
Northwest will continue their home stand with a pair of games against Southwest Mississippi Community College (23-7, 10-4) on Friday afternoon with first pitch of game one scheduled for 2 P.M. and game two to follow at 4 P.M.
The series with the Bears has major implications on the standings with Northwest in a tie for third in the MACCC and Southwest just one game behind in a tie for fifth. The Rangers currently trail Pearl River Community College (26-4, 10-2) and Copiah-Lincoln Community College (32-3, 13-1) in the latest standings.
Keep up with Northwest softball news by visiting nwccrangers.com or by following Ranger social media accounts.
