By Logan Jones
Assist. Sports Editor
The NWOSU baseball team had a busy week as they traveled up to Hays, Kansas before returning for a weekend showdown with Harding University.
In the Wednesday game against the Ft. Hays State Tigers, both teams fought back and forth for the lead, but ultimately, the Rangers fell 8-4.
The Ranger bats struck early, bringing three around in the second thanks to a two-run homerun from Harrison Hull and an RBI-double from Tanner Rutledge.
Ft. Hays answered back by scoring a run in the bottom of the second, and three more in the third, giving them a 4-3 lead.
That’s where the game stayed until the top of the sixth inning, when Justin Bundy scored on an RBI-single by Luis Mendoza.
After tying the game, the Ranger offense went quiet, and the Tigers capitalized; Ft. Hays brought two runs around in the bottom of the sixth, and then again in the bottom of the eighth.
Those final two runs proved to be the nail in the coffin for Northwestern as they went quietly in the ninth, losing by score of 8-4.
The red and black returned to the diamond on Friday when they played the Harding Bison in a double-header at the friendly confines of Myers Stadium.
In game one, the Bison jumped out to an early, one-run, lead in the second, but the Rangers went on to score a run of their own in the fourth, tying the game at one apiece.
It was a true pitchers’ duel as both teams were held to only a single run through seven innings of work.
Junior Kaleb Honea worked through eight and a third innings of work, punching out four, and allowing three runs.
After Harding scored two runs in the top of the eighth, some late inning heroics got Northwestern back in the ballgame.
Dash Johnson started it off with a solo blast, bringing the Rangers within one.
Justin Bundy then hit one of his own in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game at three and sending it into extras.
Unfortunately, the Bison picked up three runs in the tenth inning before going on to win, 6-3.
The Rangers had much better luck in game two.
After allowing a single run the top of the first, the Northwestern bats came together to scratch across two runs in bottom of the inning.
After Harding tied the game in the third, the Rangers answered back in the fourth.
After a Bundy single and a walk from Bryce Donovan, Luis Mendoza would single back up the middle, scoring Bundy.
Luis Cintron would follow with a single of his own, scoring the remaining two runners.
The Rangers extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Johnnuelle Ponce crushed a two-run bomb to right field, bringing the score to 7-2.
Harding could only manage to bring across one run in the top of the sixth, but by then it was to late. Northwestern would go on to win, 7-3.
In the final game of the series, the red and black picked up right where they left off.
They scored a run in the first on an RBI ground out by Ponce, and again in the second when a wild pitch allowed Brock Randels to score.
The Rangers starter, Mathew Goertzen, pitched a gem, going seven innings and striking out seven Harding batters.
Northwestern would go on to add to their lead in the sixth when Ponce scored on a dropped fly ball and again when a perfectly executed suicide squeeze by Randels brought home Donavan.
After nine, the Rangers had shut out the Bison, 5-0.
The Ranger men played a non-conference game against Rogers State on April 2.
The men dropped the game 11-5. Rogers State outhit the Rangers 17-5.
Northwestern moves to 9-11 in conference play and 19-15 overall.
The Ranger’s next take to the road to Arkansas to take on Arkansas Tech University April 5 and 6.