By OAKLEE FIELDER
Northwestern baseball added three wins and two losses to its record after four games against New Mexico Highlands University and one against Northeastern State University.
They won the four-game series against NMHU with three wins and one loss. The one loss was the start of the doubleheader on Saturday.
They lost the game against NSU after going into extra innings and losing by one.
Game one vs NMHU went into many extra innings, making the game last just over four hours.
The first inning had two runs for NWOSU, giving them an early lead. NMHU scored three in the second, which was responded to by two more from Northwestern. The Cowboys scored three in the top of the fourth, and NWOSU scored four in the bottom, leaving the teams with a score of 6-8 headed into the fifth. The Cowboys scored one in the top of the sixth and the top of the ninth, saving their game and sending it into extra innings. The game had five extra innings before one team scored, and it was a walk-off hit from Tyler Hogan to send Matthew Bailey home and win the game.
The next two games were a part of a doubleheader, so the games only lasted seven innings.
NWOSU scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. The Cowboys responded with four at the top of the third. NMHU scored two more in the top of the fifth and won the game 6-1. Hogan had the most hits for the Rangers with two. Starting pitcher Kaden Spray had one strikeout.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Rangers opened with a run in each of the first two innings. NMHU tied it with two runs of their own at the top of the third. NWOSU scored a run in the following inning to have a 3-2 lead. In the fifth, NMHU scored one at the top. The Rangers were able to keep their lead by scoring one in the next half inning.
The Rangers were able to make up for the previous game and won 4-3. Joel Lindahl had the most hits for NWOSU with two. Logan Sandoval got the win for the Rangers as he had five strikeouts.
The final game against NMHU was on Sunday.
NWOSU opened the game with a run at the bottom of the first. The second and third went scoreless. At the bottom of the fourth, the Rangers scored two to give them a 3-0 lead. Two more innings went by, and in the seventh, NWOSU scored one run to make it 4-0. NMHU scored their first run of the game in the eighth. NWOSU responded with a run of their own in the bottom. At the top of the ninth, the Cowboys scored two in hopes of catching the Rangers and forcing extra innings.
Fortunately, the Rangers pitched and fielded well and closed the game with a 3-5 win over NMHU. Lindahl and Chase Gordan had the most hits for NWOSU with two each. Alex Dabrowski ran home the most with two runs scored. Trey Barkman had seven strikeouts and was credited with the win.
The game against NSU was on Tuesday in Ponca City.
Another game went into extra innings for the Rangers, this one going to 11.
The Rangers opened the game strong, with two runs scored in the first and five in the second.
Northeastern responded with one in the third and one in the fourth. NWOSU scored two runs in the fifth to make it 9-2. The Riverhawks had a lot of slack to pick up to win the game over the Rangers, and they started with one run scored in the sixth. They then scored four in the seventh and four in the eighth to tie the game at 11. The Rangers were unable to score in the final two innings, so the game went into overtime. It only took two innings for a run to be scored.
The Riverhawks hit a home run to give them a one-run lead. The Rangers were unable to respond and lost the game 12-11.
Dabrowski had four hits and five runs. Cole Barton had five runs scored and two hits. Both of them and Blake Mattern had two RBIs.
NWOSU went through six pitchers throughout the game. Karter Simon had the most strikeouts with two.
The Rangers will open GAC play against Harding University on Friday and Saturday, playing a doubleheader on the weekday. They play Newman University on Tuesday.