By Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
The Northwestern baseball team lost all three games in its series against Arkansas-Monticello.
After making the trip to Monticello, Arkansas, the Rangers walked into a buzzsaw in game one of the series Friday. The Boll Weevils scored in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead and never looked back, as they scored in every inning of the game.
Arkansas-Monticello scored two runs in the bottom of the second and unloaded with a seven-run third inning to put the Rangers in a 10-0 hole.
The defensive woes continued for the Rangers in the fourth, as the Boll Weevils tacked on three more runs to extend the lead to 13-0. The Rangers responded in the fifth with a solo home run from Trevor Saire, but the Rangers still trailed 13-1 going to the bottom of the inning. Both teams traded runs throughout the final three innings. The Boll Weevils beat the Rangers, 17-2.
Game two of the series took place right after game one, and the Rangers kept the game competitive. The Rangers got off to a quick start, as Brandon Holdren hit a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Rangers their first lead of the series. Hayden Priest followed up with a single to centerfield to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead going to the bottom of the first.
The Boll Weevils had no answer in the first but scored four runs in the second inning to take a 4-2 lead.
The Rangers clawed back with runs the third and fifth to tie the game at 4-4, but the Boll Weevils drove in two runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead at 6-4. The Rangers tried to rally but only scored one run, giving the Rangers a 6-5 loss.
In the final game of the series Saturday, the Rangers and Boll Weevils engaged in a defensive battle.
Neither side scored until the fourth inning, when Hagen Barcello homered to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
The lead did not last long, as Arkansas-Monticello scored a combined four runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-1 lead. The Boll Weevil defense tightened up, and the Rangers struggled again in a 4-1 defeat.
The Rangers returned home Tuesday to take on the Riverhawks of Northeastern State, and the offense returned. The Rangers found themselves down 4-0 going into the bottom of the third, but the Rangers scored a pair of runs to cut the deficit in half to 4-2. The Rangers were not done yet, as Northwestern unleashed a 10-run fourth inning to put the Riverhawks away. Northeastern State did not score again, and the Rangers rolled to a 20-4 victory.