By RANGERS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
The Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball team took the field with the Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello for the series finale today and battled throughout, but came away with a 9-5 setback.
The Rangers sent Brandon Nesseralla to the mound for the start where he went 3.2 innings, giving up six runs in the outing. The other three hurlers to see game action for the visitors were Matthew Bickford, Nick Llorente and David Sanchez.
Leading the way at the dish today was designated hitter, Cooper Stanley who was 2-for-3 on the afternoon with two runs scored and three RBIs. The other three Rangers to collect hits were Garrett Douglas, Arturo Castro and TJ Kassner.
Each team put one man aboard a piece in the first inning of play, but neither converted, going scoreless through the first, but the score wouldn’t remain like that for long.
Monticello opened up the bottom of the second with a walk, and they were able to bring him around on a single up the middle, which ultimately scored two runs, making it an early 2-0 lead for the Weevils.
The hosts tacked on another in the third, but the Rangers fought back in the top of four as Stanley smashed a ball over the right centerfield fence, plating Pat Delano as well to make it a one-run ballgame.
UAM had something to say about that in their very next at bat however as they posted three more runs on the scoreboard to make it a four-run game at 6-2.
After a scoreless fifth inning for both teams, Northwestern struck again in the sixth, where Stanley brought home Delano for a second time on a fielder’s choice, but that would be all the guests could muster in the inning.
For the second straight inning following a Ranger score, the Weevils answered again with two more runs of their own, making it a commanding 8-3 advantage.
Monticello added their final run in the eighth, making it 9-3, but the Rangers in their final at bat would plate two more on a homer by Castro to left field, scoring Stanley in the process.
The two runs would be all the Rangers could bring around in their final plate appearance however, falling 9-5.
Although Northwester had a rough go this past weekend during spring break they did come away with a win. Northwestern baseball took the field for the final game of the series with East Central on March 11 and would come up with a big win 11-6.
Starting on the bump for the Rangers in his first collegiate start was redshirt freshman, Nesseralla who went a stellar six innings, surrendering just two runs on five hits.
As an offensive unit, the Rangers were hot at the dish this afternoon as seven batters all reached base on hits and collecting 14 as a whole. Jacob Long and Jorin Van Amstel led the way for Northwestern however as they each collected three hits apiece.
East Central drew first blood in the contest on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning, while the Rangers were shut down in three straight batters.
The visitors threatened in the top of the second, getting two men on board, but were unable to plate any runs, but they would cash in some runs in the third.
Two big hits in the top of the third got the Ranger offense going as Carrington started things off with a bunt, moving Kane to second in the process. In the next at-bat Long would smoke a single to right field and it would skip under the rightfielder’s legs and travel to the wall, scoring Carrington and Kane. Long would then cross the plate on a balk by the Tiger hurler, making it a 3-1 Northwestern advantage.
The Tigers would get on the board again in the bottom half of three with one run, but the Rangers erased it immediately and added another on top of it, making it a 5-2 visitor lead.
The top of the fifth was a big one for the Rangers as well, putting three more on the board on two singles and an error by the Tigers’ pitcher and first baseman. Following the three-run frame for the visitors, they would stretch the lead to six at 8-2.
Northwestern would tack on another run in the top of the seventh to make it a commanding 10-2 lead and the lead would remain at eight through the bottom half of the inning, following a three-batter shut down inning by Bickford who came on in relief for Nesseralla.
For the sixth straight inning, the Black-and-Red added another run to their side of the board, making it 11-2. The Rangers also held the hosts to their fifth straight open frame in the bottom of eight.
The final Tiger at bat would belong to Sanchez who struggled to get outs for a good part of the inning, allowing four to cross the plate, but he would recover and a fly out to Carrington ended the inning and the game in the Rangers’ favor.