NWCC Rangers use long ball to salvage split with Holmes
Powered by a four home run explosion, the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers were able to salvage a doubleheader split with the Holmes Bulldogs March 24 at Ranger Field in Senatobia.
Northwest bounced from a lackluster performance in the first contest which Holmes won 13-3. The Ranger bats came alive in the second game as they pounded out 15 hits off four different Bulldog pitchers en route to a 19-2 victory.
Northwest pushed its overall record to 15-10, including a 3-3 mark in the MACJC North Division.
The Rangers jumped to 13-0 lead after the first two innings of the second game thanks to a quartet of home runs. Northwest sophomore second baseman Tyler Benson of Pope sparked the offensive outburst with grand slam in the first frame. Two batters later, freshman shortstop Drew Griffin of Somerville, Tenn., added a two-run blast over the wall in left field.
Ranger sophomore first baseman Joel Rich and sophomore outfielder Kevin Crum, both of Southaven, got in on the act in the second inning. Rich jacked a two-run homer, while Crum collected a three-run shot.
Benson also added an RBI-single in the second frame for a career-high five RBI in the contest. Crum also racked up five RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the third inning and collecting an RBI-single in the fourth.
Northwest freshman third baseman Ethan Bright of Batesville had a team-high three hits, while sophomore designated hitter Hunter Parham of Southaven scored four runs. Bright, Benson, and Crum scored three runs each.
Ranger sophomore pitcher Mark Husband of Tunica registered six strikeouts in five innings of work to notch the victory and improve his record to 4-1. Husband allowed just two hits.
Northwest couldn’t dig itself out of a 10-0 hole in the first game which led to the loss. The Rangers managed just four hits, two of them from the bat of sophomore outfielder Ronnie Ferrell of Water Valley.
Benson was credited with an RBI-single in the fourth inning, while Rich drew a walk with the bases loaded for his third RBI of the day.
Northwest sophomore starting pitcher Matt Shaw of Oxford was touched for seven hits and six earned runs in the first two innings and took the loss to fall to 3-2.
The Rangers travel to Moorhead Saturday, March 27 to face Mississippi Delta. The MACJC North Division doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.
