ALVA, OKLAHOMA - Northwestern Oklahoma State softball closed out their season series with the Newman Jets on Tuesday on the new turf field. The Rangers welcomed the new field with two wins to complete the season series sweep four games to zero and the doubleheader sweep on Tuesday. Rangers used a three run second inning to open a 3-0 lead before closing out the 5-1 win. In game two the Rangers won 2-0 behind seven shutout innings from Ireland Caro.
The two wins moved the Rangers record to 14-20 on the season.
GAME ONE:
In the first game of the day Rangers were led in hitting by Gabrielle Sanchez going 2-2 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Laney Anderson had a team high two hits as well while scoring a run.
Newman had the first base runner of the day after Bonython got hit by a pitch but Howell ended the inning with a ground out. After a scoreless top of the second inning the Rangers offense struck first in the bottom half of the inning.
With runners on second and third Sanchez stepped up and delivered a 2-run double to right field scoring Anderson, and Sherwood for the early 2-0 lead. Later in the inning Sanchez came around to score on a Jets error for the 3-0 lead.
Howell threw a perfect third inning to keep the Rangers in front with all momentum. Northwestern continued to add on in the third inning after a lea doff single by Sherwood she scored on a Jets error for a 4-0 lead. Howell pitched a scoreless fourth picking up a strikeout. Rangers looking to add on had two singles but were unable to add a run.
The Rangers added on in the fifth inning after back to back singles to start the inning by Avery Clark and Sanchez. Sanchez was driven in on a single back up the middle by Tatum Winters for the 5-0 lead.
Newman got one back in the sixth inning after a lead off triple by McNaught she was driven in by a Borja RBI ground out. Howell closed the game out in the seventh inning with a perfect 1-2-3 inning to seal the game on victory 5-1 over the Jets.
Howell earned her seventh win on the season after the complete game victory and her eighth complete game of the season.
GAME TWO:
The second game of the afternoon the Rangers were led by Caro's pitching a complete game shutout. Rangers had three hits in the win, one each by Rosemary Rivera, Hannah Howell, and Macy Spearman.
Newman, looking to start fast in game two put runners on first and second but the Rangers found their way out of the inning keeping the game scoreless.
In a scoreless game the Rangers offense struck for one run in the second inning as after a Jets error Rivera singled driving in Anderson for the 1-0 lead over the Jets. In the third inning the Jets had one runner reach by Caro working around the base runner to keep the Rangers in front 1-0.
The game stayed 1-0 into the fifth inning when the Rangers offense extended the lead to 2-0 as Howell came up with Spearman on second and delivered an RBI single through the left side for the 2-0 lead.
In the seventh inning the Rangers starter Ireland Caro closed out the 2-0 win with a perfect seventh inning striking out the final hitter of the game. Caro earned her fourth win of the season only allowing two hits pitching her fourth complete game and first shutout of the season.
Northwestern will travel to Ada, Oklahoma for a conference series against East Central over the weekend starting on April 5th for a three game series.
