By Logan Jones
Assist. Sports Editor
The NWOSU baseball team traveled to Russellville, Arkansas last weekend to take on the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys. Despite showing off impressive offensive numbers, the Rangers dropped all three games.
The series started with a Friday double-header. In game one, the red and black got off to an early lead, scoring 4 runs on 5 hits in the top of the first inning. On defense, the Ranger pitching held Arkansas Tech scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when they cut the lead to 2 on a two-run single and eventually taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Arkansas Tech would scratch across two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, giving them a three-run advantage.
However, costly errors allowed Northwestern to fight their way back into the game, scoring 2 runs on 2 errors. ATU would later respond by bringing in 5 runs in the eighth inning.
Despite a late RBI single from Jake Darrow, the deficit was to great, and the Rangers lost 12-7.
In game two the Wonder Boys came out swinging, scoring fast and scoring often. ATU put up 4 in the first, 1 in the third, and 5 in the fourth.
After six innings, it looked like the Rangers would go down without a fight.
Then Justin Gordon came to the plate in the seventh.
Gordon, making his first appearance at the plate for Northwestern, crushed a double to left field and later scored on an RBI single from Dash Johnson.
Johnson would also come across to score on an error by the ATU second baseman. The Rangers would score one more run before the Wonder Boys could close out the game with a final score of 10-3.
On Saturday, both teams desperately wanted to go home with the final game of the series. Northwestern was first on the board thanks to a 2-run blast from Johnnuelle Ponce in the top of the first inning. ATU would answer back in the bottom of the first, scoring 2 on back-to-back bases loaded singles.
In the top of the fourth, the Rangers would retake the lead when a throwing error allowed Luis Mendoza to score from second.
The red and black would then tack on another run when a foul ball pop up allowed Marques Paige to tag up and score.
Northwestern continued to add to their lead in the fifth, when Ponce belted his second home run of the day, followed by an RBI single from Johnson. Another Ranger would come across to score in the seventh, giving NWOSU a 7-2 lead.
However, the Wonder Boys were not done.
In the bottom of the seventh, free bases and costly Ranger errors allowed ATU to score 9 runs.
The Rangers retaliated in the eighth.
After drawing three walks, Justin Bundy would also be walked, pushing across a run.
Following a wild pitch that allowed Luis Cintron to score, catcher, Bryce Donovan hit a sacrifice fly that brought in another Ranger run. Bundy would also come around to score on anther wild pitch, bringing Northwestern within one of Arkansas Tech.
After shutting down the Wonder Boys in the bottom of the inning, the luck seemed to run out for the Ranger bats. ATU would close the door and seal the victory with the score of 12-11.