SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Northwest Mississippi Community College avoided elimination with a 4-0 win over Richard Bland College on Wednesday at the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series. The victory keeps the Rangers alive in the tournament, with their next game scheduled for Thursday.
Head coach Chelsea Bramlett credited her team’s late-game execution. “It started to come together there towards the end, so that is a good sign before we play tomorrow,” she said. “Meredith had another wonderful game. Catelyn Brown came in and got the last out, which is a big confidence booster for her.”
Meredith Dearman pitched a shutout, improving her record to 21-8. She struck out 11 batters, allowed just three hits and two walks. Dearman now has 203 strikeouts on the season, making her the second Ranger to reach that mark in a single season, behind Gabby Dickerson’s 239 in 2022.
The game was tied until the sixth inning, when clutch hits from Cates and Mancini broke the deadlock. A leadoff single by Cates was followed by a grounder to left field, scoring teammate McAtee from second and giving Northwest a 1-0 lead. Mancini then hit her seventh home run of the season to make it 3-0.
Northwest added a final run in the seventh when Mancini singled to score Massing, who had led off the inning with a double. The team’s offensive surge came after several early threats that were thwarted by Richard Bland’s defense.
The Rangers will face eighth-seeded Pima Community College in the second round of the elimination bracket. The game is set for 9 a.m. Eastern time. Bramlett noted her team’s motivation to avenge last year’s loss to Pima, who eliminated them from the tournament last season.
Follow all updates from the series at nwccrangers.com or through the Rangers’ social media channels.
