Northwest Mississippi CC Softball Team Defeated National Park College

Story from NWCC Athletics:

SENATOBIA – Northwest rattled off 13 hits in Thursday’s opener against National Park College and survived a pitcher’s duel in the finale, earning a pair of 8-0 and 2-1 victories against the Nighthawks.

Carly Dunigan and Kylie Frost finished 3-for-4 at the plate in the six-inning run-rule win, and Abby Rogers picked up the save in the circle during the second game, recording her third save of the season and the fifth of her career. The Brandon native is now tied with Lindsey Shaw for the career record in saves (5).

Freshman Catelyn Brown (3-1) also picked up the win in the circle for the opener, while sophomore Morgen Brewton improved to 10-1 with her victory in the nightcap.

Northwest (19-3, 0-2 MACCC) will return to conference play on Sunday afternoon, hosting 13th-ranked Pearl River at 12/2 P.M. The Lady Wildcats (18-7, 2-0 MACCC) are riding an eight-game winning streak and lead the all-time series against the Rangers by a 21-9 margin.

Sunday’s doubleheader will be carried on Ranger TV.

Game 1 – #9 Northwest 8, National Park College 0 (6 inn.)

Northwest scattered four runs across the first two innings and picked up the run-rule victory in the sixth inning.

Brown retired National Park College in order to start off the contest, and Dunigan’s two-out single up the middle later allowed her to score on an error by the shortstop. The 1-0 lead was carried over to the second inning, when Frost led off the frame with a single through the right side. Emma Jennings followed with a base hit of her own, and Marleigh Mancini’s single through the left side stretched the Raangers’ lead to 2-0.

Jenn Smith followed with a base hit and Thenya Kennedy reached on a fielder’s choice, setting up a two-run triple to center field from Ellie Fryar. The 4-0 advantage held until the bottom of the fourth, when Fryar accounted for another RBI-triple and Dunigan reached on an RBI base hit, pushing the lead to 6-0.

Northwest left a runner stranded in the bottom of the fifth, but the Rangers quickly picked up the run rule in the sixth with a sacrifice fly from Carleigh Calarcoand a walk-off double from Frost.

Brown went the distance for the first time in her collegiate career, garnering four strikeouts against a walk in six shutout innings. Bailee Cowell dropped to 5-3 in the circle for National Park College, surrendering five runs and a walk in 3.2 innings.

Avery Creech tossed the final two frames for the Nighthawks, allowing three runs and earning a strikeout. National Park College also scattered all four of hits throughout the lineup.

Game 2 – #9 Northwest 2, National Park College 1

Northwest led 2-0 after the third inning, but National Park College kept the Rangers’ bats in check the rest of the way, as Brewton and Rogers combined to preserve the win in a classic pitcher’s duel.

Dunigan was responsible for both of the Rangers’ runs, scoring Fryar on a groundout to second base in the first inning and delivering an RBI-double in the third, scoring Fryar yet again.

A sac fly in the fourth allowed the Nighthawks to plate their one and only run of the game, while Gracie Fowler (2-2) went all six innings in the circle, keeping her team within striking distance the rest of the way.

Both teams combined for just seven base hits and no one on either side picked up more than one hit.