BETHANY, Okla.- The Red-and-Black would continue their success on Saturday in Bethany, Oklahoma, as they completed the doubleheader and series sweep over Southern Nazarene. The Rangers would take game one 17-1 behind six home runs and a seven-run third inning. In game two, Northwestern would use a four-run second inning and two more home runs to take game two 10-6.
Northwestern now improves to 14-8 on the season and 12-6 in conference play. Southern Nazarene falls to 3-20 on the year and 3-16 in GAC play.
GAME ONE:
In the second consecutive game for the Northwestern offense, every single starter had at least one hit in the game. Jake White led the Rangers with 6RBI in game one, finishing the game with three hits, including two 3-run home runs. Yugo Hamakawa followed pace with three hits of his own including, three RBI and a home run. Preston Lonadier and White had the most runs scored, with three runs scored. The Rangers offense again was spread out as five hitters finished the afternoon with two hits as Dylan Norsen, Marques Paige, Blake Hoffman, Preston Lonadier, and Brett Erickson in game one of the doubleheader. Parker Base finished the game with one hit, two runs and an RBI. Daschal Johnson, Marques Paige, Jake White(2), Yugo Hamakawa, and Brett Erickson all homered for the Rangers. NWOSU finished the game with 17 runs on 19 hits to earn the 17-1 victory.
Dillon Van Oosbree received the game one start for the Red-and-Black, throwing five scoreless innings, only allowing two hits while striking out nine Crimson Storm hitters in his first win of the season. Austin Thomason threw in relief finishing, off the game with two innings of work, striking out two allowing one run.
Hamakawa tried to get the Rangers started early Saturday afternoon with a one-out double to right field, but that was all the Rangers could get hit-wise that inning. Following a leadoff walk, Van Oosbree would force a double play followed by a strikeout to keep the first inning scoreless.
The second inning, when the Rangers offense struck, opening a lead. Hoffman led the inning off with a double down the right-field line, was later driven in by a Base single to right field to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Northwestern had runners on the corner for the Rangers catcher, who would hit a 3-run home run to left field to open a 4-0 NWOSU lead. Erickson followed with a solo home run going back-to-back home runs with White for the second consecutive game. Van Oosbree would strike out two of the three hitters faced in the home half of the second retiring, the Crimson Storm in order and holding the 5-0 Rangers lead.
The Red-and-Black offense did not hesitate to add more runs, as in their next half-inning at the plate would add seven more runs on the Southern Nazarene pitching staff. Lonadier would double to left field, followed by Base getting hit by a pitch to set up White. The Texas native would deliver with his second 3-run home run of the afternoon, giving the Rangers an 8-0 lead. The big inning would not end there with back-to-back singles to bring Hamakawa to the plate. The Rangers shortstop would hit the team's second 3-run home run of the inning to go up 11-0 in the third inning. Johnson followed him with a solo home run to left field, extending the lead to 12-0 in the third. Van Oosbree stayed locked in on the mound as in the home half of the inning. The Rangers starter would strike out two more Crimson Storm batters.
After a quiet Northwestern half of the fourth inning, Southern Nazarene would have their best scoring opportunity to that point in the game, having a runner reach on third. However, White would pick him off, throwing down to Paige at third following the pitch to end any Crimson Storm rally. Van Osbree finished the inning off with his seventh strikeout in four innings of work to that point of the game.
In the fifth inning, both teams would threaten to score as the Rangers had second and third with one out, but the Crimson Storm would escape the jam. In the bottom half of the fifth, the Storm sent a runner in scoring position. Swanson escaped the small jam after striking the next two batters out, holding the line at 12-0 Rangers lead.
In the sixth inning, Northwestern would add four runs to their total. After a leadoff single from White, Hamakawa would hit him in with a single to right field. Following an error in right field, White would come around to score. Johnson would reach on an error as well, allowing Hamakawa to score. Paige would cap the inning off with a 2-run home run to left field, giving the Rangers a 16-0 lead.
Thomason would enter for Swanson and throw a scoreless sixth inning sending the game to the seventh. With runners on first and third Rubalcava, would pick up an RBI groundout to give the Rangers their 17th and final run of the game. The Crimson Storm would get a run across the plate on a solo home run from EJ Taylor. Mendoza would end the game by throwing out Walker on a steal attempt to seal the 17-1 Rangers victory for the seventh straight win.
GAME TWO:
The Red-and-Black in game two was led by Brett Erickson with three hits in the afternoon with an RBI and a run scored in the game. Jake White, Marques Paige, Preston Lonadier, and Yugo Hamakawa followed with two hits each in the game. Daschal Johnson led the team with 3RBI, followed by Jake White with two RBI. Dylan Norsen, Hamakawa, Paige, Blake Hoffman, Erickson all had one RBI in the game. White finished with two RBI in the game. Lonadier and White led the team with two runs scored.
The pitching staff was led by Ethan Swanson, who had the game two start Saturday for the Rangers. He threw 3.1IP, allowing three runs on three hits while walking six and striking out three. Koby Spicer pitched in relief, allowing two runs on one hit and a strikeout in 0.2 innings of work. Kaleb Honea pitched the game's final three innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five.
In the first inning, the Rangers tried to carry over the offensive momentum having two runners reach on a Hamakawa walk followed by a Paige single but that all the Crimson Storm pitching staff would allow. Swanson received the game two start and would also work around two base runners reaching by striking out the side in the first inning.
The Red-and-Black had a big second inning scoring four runs. Lonadier and Base would reach base safely to start the second inning. White followed with an RBI single, knocking in Lonadier to give the Rangers the first lead in game two. Erickson followed with an RBI single to left field as Base came around to score. Hamakawa would then hit the third RBI single of the inning for Northwestern. Johnson would cap the inning off with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Erickson and giving the Rangers a 4-0 lead.
The Crimson Storm would have two runners reach again before Swanson would use a 6-4-3 double play to escape the inning with no damage done, holding the 4-0 lead for Northwestern.
In the third inning, Northwestern continued to carry over momentum by adding on more runs. Hoffman would lead the inning off with a solo home run to left-center field. Lonadier followed with a double to left field and would score from an RBI single to left field to extend the Rangers lead to 6-0.
Southern Nazarene would start to try and climb back into the game with a run in the third inning. Phillips would hit an RBI single to center field, bringing the score to a 6-1 game. Rangers would go down scoreless in the third inning, as the offense struck again in the home half of the inning. The Crimson Storm would hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it a 6-2 game which would then be followed by a 3-run home run to left field, bringing the Rangers to lead down to 6-5.
Rangers would answer back through the next half inning with a single from Norsen to right-center field, which knocked in White from second! Honea would throw a scoreless fifth inning for the Rangers before Paige would again extend the Rangers lead! Paige would hit a solo home run to left field to bring the lead to 8-5 in the sixth inning.
The Storm had a double in the sixth inning followed by a walk as they tried to tie the game, but Honea would escape any damage with a strikeout and then forcing Taylor to hit into a fielder's choice.
In the seventh inning, Johnson would triple to right-center field to knock in Hamakawa and Norsen for a 2RBI triple to give the Rangers a 10-5 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Phillips would hit a solo home run to left-center to cut the lead to 10-6. The Storm would add two more base runners in the inning, but Honea would get the final two hitters out he would face from a Walker strike out the got Bare to fly out to left to end the game. Rangers would hold on for the 10-6 win for their 8th straight victory and second consecutive series sweep.
Northwestern will be back in action on Tuesday, April 6th at 3 PM in GLASS FAMILY FIELD AT MYERS STADIUM for a non-conference game against Northeastern State. The Red-and-Black will return to conference play on Friday, April 9th, for a three-game series against Oklahoma Baptist.
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