The Northwest Mississippi Community College softball team, ranked No. 20, split a pair of games with Wabash Valley College on Saturday in Booneville. The Rangers lost the first game 7-4 but won the second in extra innings, 10-9.
In the opener, Northwest took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Lilliana Cates hit an RBI double, and a sacrifice fly brought home another run. However, Wabash Valley responded with a big fourth inning, scoring seven runs. Meredith Dearman pitched six innings with six strikeouts for Northwest, but the Warriors’ rally proved too much. The Rangers scored twice in the fifth and made a late push in the seventh but fell short.
In the second game, Wabash Valley opened with a leadoff inside-the-park home run. Northwest answered quickly, tying the game. The Rangers then took control with a five-run second inning, highlighted by a three-run double from McAtee. They extended the lead to 9-4 before Wabash Valley mounted a comeback, tying the game at nine in the seventh with a three-run homer. The game went into extra innings, where Londen Armstrong delivered a walkoff single to secure the 10-9 victory for Northwest.
Offensively, Rhoden went 3-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored, and an RBI. Armstrong also contributed with two RBIs and a 3-for-5 effort. McAtee and Cates each drove in three runs. Brown pitched 6.1 innings, allowing nine runs, five earned, with five strikeouts. Dearman earned the win after pitching the final 1.2 innings and striking out two.
Northwest will continue its schedule Tuesday with games against Cleveland State Community College and Gadsden State in Alabama. The team will host Calhoun Community College in a doubleheader Wednesday at the Ranger Softball Complex. Fans can follow the team’s schedule through nwccrangers.com or social media channels.
