BETHANY, Okla.- The Northwestern Oklahoma State Baseball team won their sixth consecutive game Friday afternoon with a 12-2 win. The Northwestern offense stayed hot at the plate scoring 12 runs on 16 hits as every Northwestern starter in the lineup had at least one hit. The Red-and-Black scored in three straight innings to open a lead and broke the game wide open in the ninth with five runs opening a 12-1 lead in the ninth. 

The Rangers improve to 12-8 on the season and 10-6 in Great American Conference play after the Friday afternoon win over Southern Nazarene. Southern Nazarene falls to 3-18 on the season and 3-14 in Great American Conference play. 

The Red-and-Black offense finished the afternoon, scoring 12 runs on 16 hits. Marques Paige and Jake White led the offense with three hits each on the day. White led in RBI with five on two extra-base hits, including a grand slam in the ninth inning. Paige was second with three RBI on three solo home runs hit in the game. Yugo Hamakawa followed with two RBI on one hit. Brett Erickson had two RBI on two hits, including a solo home run. Dylan Norsen, Daschal Johnson Parker Base all had one hit in the game. Preston Lonadier had two hits, along with Blake Hoffman having two hits and two runs scored. 

Scott Creedon had the Friday afternoon start for the Rangers, throwing five scoreless innings allowing six hits no runs while striking out five Crimson Storm hitters. Grant French threw in relief, entering in the sixth inning escaping, a jam. French would close the game out, throwing four innings for his second save of the 2021 season.  

The first inning was all pitching as both starters settled in nicely with a 1-2-3 top of the first inning for Graves of Southern Nazarene. Creedon matched that with a perfect inning of his own while striking out two Crimson Storm hitters. 

Northwestern struck in the second inning with two extra-base hits. First, Paige led the inning off with a solo home run to deep left field. Lonadier doubled to the left-center field, but Graves escaped further damage holding the Rangers lead at 1-0. 

In the bottom half of the second inning, the Crimson Storm tried to strike back from a one-out double to left-center field by Jarrett Phillips. Creedon would retire the next two hitters, one with a lineout to left field, followed by a ground out to first. 

Rangers went scoreless in the top of third before Southern Nazarene would threaten once again. This time they would load the bases with two outs. Creedon, however, would escape without any damage done, striking out the final batter of the inning to retire the side with the Rangers still leading 1-0. 

Northwestern would get two hits in the fourth inning on singles by Johnson and Hoffman, but that would be all they could get in the away half of the inning. Creedon would retire the Crimson Storm. The fifth inning is when the Rangers would strike again, as White would get things started with a one-out single. Norsen would hit a double down the left-field line setting up two runners in scoring position for Hamakawa with two outs. The Tokyo native would deliver,with a 2RBI single to the left-center field to extend the Rangers lead to 3-0. In the home half of the inning, the Crimson Storm would hit a single but that would be all Creedon would allow picking up another strikeout in the inning. Rangers led 3-0 after five innings of play. 

The Red-and-Black wasted no time before extending their lead once again. This time in the top of the sixth inning Paige led things off, delivering his second home run of the game with a shot to right-center field. Hoffman followed with a double and was moved to third on a single by Base. White would follow with a double down the left-field line knocking in Hoffman with only one out. After the Crimson Storm changed pitchers, Erickson would welcome him into the game with an RBI single to right field, increasing the Rangers lead to 6-0. 

The Crimson Storm would pick up two base runners again in the sixth inning, forcing Creedon out of the game. Grant French would take over right where Creedon left the game. French would enter and strikeout two Crimson Storm hitters holding the Rangers 6-0 lead through the first six innings. 

Paige continued his hot afternoon with his third solo home run of the afternoon to extend the Rangers' lead to 7-0 in the seventh inning. The Storm, though, would answer back in the home half of the seventh inning with a solo home run by Lockett to cut into the Rangers lead, making it a 7-1 lead after seven innings. 

The game would stay that way until the ninth inning, as the Rangers would break the game open even more. Rangers would draw three straight walks to load the bases for White. The Frisco Texas native would hit a grand slam to left field to extend the Rangers lead to 11-1 in the ninth inning. The grand slam would give White 5RBI in the afternoon. Erickson would go back-to-back with White, as the Collinsville native hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 12-2.

The Crimson Storm would score one run in the ninth inning on a Lockett home run to left field. That would be all the Crimson Storm would score in the ninth inning as French would get the final out on a strikeout. Rangers would win this one 12-2 for their sixth straight victory on the season. 

Northwestern will conclude the series on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene with first pitch of game one at Noon with the second game following around 3:00 PM. 

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