RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball dropped a pair of games on the road Friday afternoon at Arkansas Tech in Great American Conference play.
A big first inning wasn’t enough for the Rangers in game one as they fell to the Wonder Boys, 12-7. In the second game, the offense was almost non-existent until the seventh inning in a 10-3 loss.
The day started strong at the plate as it looked like the Rangers were going to put a lot of runs on the board. Northwestern started with five hits in as many at bats when Daschal Johnson singled up the middle and Jake Darrow followed with a double to get runners in scoring position.
Carlos Andujar did his job by sending a pitch to right to plate a run and get the Rangers on the board.
Johnnuelle Ponce stepped in a doubled in Darrow, and Justin Bundy scored Andujar and Ponce with a double of his own to give the Rangers a 4-0 lead. Unfortunately, a Ranger strikeout and a double play on a line out stopped the bleeding for the Wonder Boys.
Northwestern held on to its lead until the bottom of the fourth inning when a two-run single cut advantage in half. In the half of the fifth, Arkansas Tech was able to place three ru,ns on the board on two hits to take a 5-4 lead.
ATU had stretched its lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning before the Rangers responded in the top of the seventh. With one out, Marques Paige and Luis Cintron each singled to get on base. On a double play attempt, the throw to first got away from the Wonder Boys and Paige crossed the plate.
Two batters later, Andujar reached on an error by the shortstop that allowed Johnson to score and make it a one run game.
ATU broke up their lead in the eighth inning when they put up a five spot on the board with just one hit. Free bases and miscues bit the Rangers in the big Wonder Boy inning.
In the top of the ninth, Paige drew a leadoff walk that set up a Darrow RBI single later in the inning for the final 12-7 outcome. Darrow and Paige joined Bundy and Cintron with two hits each in the first contest.
The second game was all Arkansas Tech until the top of the seventh when the Rangers entered the inning trailing the home team 10-0.
Justin Gordon made his first plate appearance of the season, doubled to left field and scored on a single off the bat of Johnson, his second hit of the game. Johnson then scored on an error by the second baseman that allowed Darrow to reach base.
Darrow crossed the plate a couple batters later on a wild pitch for the third and final run for the Rangers.
Northwestern (19-17) and Arkansas Tech (24-13) were scheduled to wrap up the series the next day, Saturday.
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