ALVA, OKLAHOMA - The Rangers continued their three game series Sunday afternoon playing a doubleheader to close out the regular season series with the Weevils. The Rangers completed the sweep over Arkansas Monticello following a 12-11 victory in game one followed by a 14-12 victory in the second game.
The win improves the Rangers record to 6-7 on the season with a 3-3 Great American conference record while Arkansas Monticello falls to 3-8 on the year with a 1-5 conference record.
GAME ONE:
Ethan Swanson started the first game of the doubleheader throwing two innings before being relieved by Matthew Potts and Dylan Collins. Collins came in throwing four innings allowing one unearned run while striking out three picking up his second win of the season.
Northwestern bats were led in hits by Yugo Hamakawa with three hits along with Brandon Holdren with three hits. Brayden Koenig had a grand slam four his four RBIs to lead the Rangers followed by Hamakawa and Holdren with three. Hamakawa's third RBI was the walk off single.
Arkansas- Monticello jumped out fast in game one taking advantage of a couple free bases following a hit batter and a walk a single back up the middle hit by Hopkins scored the first two runs of the game.
After holding the Rangers scoreless in their half of the inning the Weevils answered back with three more runs to push their lead to 5-0. Following a lead walk Monticello would score a couple runs on 2-RBI singles before a sacrifice fly would drive in the final run in the inning for a 5-0 lead through two innings.
The Rangers would use their half of the third inning to get on the board with a two run home-run to right field by Holdren, cutting the deficit to three runs at 5-2 through the first three innings.
The visitors answered back right away though with back to back doubles to start the inning pushing their lead back to 8-2 before an RBI single would score the seventh run for the Weevils.
Northwestern answered back in their half of the fourth inning where Norsen started things off by drawing a walk before Hamakawa singled in two runs scoring Norsen and Guerrero cutting the deficit to 8-4. The Rangers were not done yet as with the score 8-5 following Hoffman driving in a run Koenig blasted a grand slam to give the Rangers a 9-8 lead. Norsen would then hit a solo home run to follow Koenig going back-to-back for a 10-8 lead after four innings for the Rangers. Arkansas Monticello answered back in the fifth inning with two runs tying the game back at 10 following a Ranger error then a Monticello sacrifice fly.
The Rangers wasted no time regaining the lead as Holdren would hit his second home run of the game, this one being a solo home run to push the lead to 11-10.
Dylan Collins continued to throw well for the Rangers as he would hold the 11-10 lead for Northwestern for three straight innings before Monticello came to bat in the ninth inning.
The inning started with a Shepherd double down the right field line and would come around to score on a Ranger error to tie the game at 11-11.
Northwestern wasted no time answering back though in their half of the ninth inning as Guerrero started the inning off with a walk. Shaughn Kelly moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt before a Hamakawa single to right field brought Guerrero home for the walk-off single as the Rangers took game two of the series 12-11.
GAME TWO:
Connor Gibson would receive the game two start for the Rangers throwing 3.2 innings while striking out three before being relieved by Cade Phelps. Phelps would enter throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball while picking up his first win of the season. He would then be relieved by Brady Bowles and Edwin Colon throwing a combined two innings to finish out the win.
Northwestern's offense was led by Brandon Koenig following a three for three afternoon with six RBIs including a grand slam to put the Rangers in front. Yugo Hamakawa closed off a solid afternoon with three hits along with three RBIs in the win.
The series finale started off with a lot of offense seeing four runs come across the plate in the opening inning. Arkansas Monticello got things started with a double followed by a single to score the first run with their second run coming on an RBI single.
In the home half of the first inning Northwestern answered the call right away with a solo home run hit by Hamakawa for his first of the season, before Blake Hoffman would tie the game on a solo home run to right field.
Arkansas Monticello would regain the lead in the second inning on three runs. Cripps would have one of his four hits in the game knocking in a run. Thompson followed with a double to right field scoring two more runs pushing their lead to 5-2.
In the third inning Kelly would lead off with a double to center field before Hamakawa singled him home cutting the deficit to two runs. The Rangers would load the bases with one out before Koenig hit a grand slam to right field giving the Rangers a 7-5 lead. This was his second grand slam of the day, the first of the game.
Arkansas- Monticello got one run back in the fourth on a solo home run as the Rangers now led 7-6. Northwestern quickly got the run back on a double from Blake Hoffman scoring Holdren pushing the lead to 8-6. Koenig continued his day at the plate with a two RBI triple down the right field line giving the Rangers a 10-6 lead in the fourth inning.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Bryan Guerrero hit a sacrifice fly to center field bringing home run number 11 of the game as Priest came across the plate. Rubalcave came in to pinch run as he would come around to score on a wild pitch. Hamakawa knocked in another run on an RBI single through the left side bringing the Ranger lead to 13-6. Kelly would score the 14th a wild pitch.
Arkansas Monticello would explode for six running the seventh and final inning trying to pull the last inning comeback. With the bases loaded Monticello would draw a walk, before a Hopkins single knocked in two more runs cutting the deficit to 14-9. Lockett would follow with a three run home run to left field to cut the Ranger lead to two runs at 14-12. Colon would finish off the inning with a double play followed by a ground out to hold on for the two run victory.
Koenig finished the afternoon between both games with 10 RBIs total between the two games along with two grand slams hit one coming in each game.
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