By Logan Jones
Assist. Sports Editor
Northwestern took on the Tigers of East Central University this past Sunday and Monday, taking two of the three games while putting up a ton of runs in the process.
The series was originally set to be played in Ada, but due to bad weather, it was moved to Glass Family Field here in Alva, with the Rangers still being the road team.
Game one started quickly for Northwestern as they were able to plate one run in the top of the first with an RBI double from Carlos Andujar. ECU would go on to score two runs and take the lead in the bottom of the second. The red and black would continue to fight, tying the game on a sacrifice fly by Jake Darrow in the fourth and even taking the lead again thanks to a solo home run by Johnnuelle Ponce in the fifth, bringing the score to 3-2.
However, one run was not enough to keep the Tigers at bay. ECU was able to tie the game again in the bottom of the fifth and that is where the score stayed until the eighth inning. RBI hits from Bryce Donavan and Luis Mendoza gave Northwestern a 6-3 lead. But the Tigers just wouldn’t go away. Some costly pitching miscues by the Rangers allowed ECU to gain momentum as they were able to score five runs in the bottom of the eighth.
The Rangers went down quietly in the ninth, sealing the 8-6 victory for ECU.
A double-header was scheduled for Monday afternoon, and Northwestern was looking for revenge. In the first game, the Rangers came out swinging as they racked up 18 runs on 17 hits while holding the Tigers to only two runs on 12 hits.
Ponce had a monster game, bashing three bombs over the outfield fence.
The senior is the 10th Ranger in program history to record three homers in the game, with teammate Justin Bundy achieving the feat most recently at Fort Hayes State during the 2018 season.
Game two of the double-header was much of the same. After putting up three in the first and second innings, the Rangers put up a 10-spot in the third, giving them a commanding lead for the rest of the game. The Tigers tried to keep up, but the Ranger offense was running on all cylinders and there was little they could do. The red and black would go on to score 10 more runs, and after seven eventful innings, the final score read Northwestern 23, ECU 11.
Ponce continued his hot day at the plate, hitting another home run, giving him 11 RBIs on the day. Justin Bundy would also join in on the fun, hitting his eleventh home run of the 2019 season.
The Rangers move to 22-19 on the season and 11-15 in conference.
Their final two GAC matchups will be here in Alva when they take on the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm on April 19 and 20 and the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs on April 26 and 27.