Booneville, MS – Northeast softball remains in the NJCAA national rankings this week coming off a split against East Central where a run rule shutout in game one helped the Tigers remain at #19 in the polls as announced by the NJCAA on March 23rd
Saturday's doubleheader against East Central on the road was two separate stories for the Tigers with a 16-0 shutout win in five innings in game one while falling in game two 11-7 to the Warriors. In game one Emma Abrams allowed only four hits throughout the contest, striking out four batters to keep the score blank for East Central. Northeast scored early in the first with Sophie Gant connecting on a 2-RBI double to right center before being driven home off a double from AB McKay to push ahead 3-0. A three-run homer in the top of the third by Chloe Skelton grew the lead to eight and a two-run bomb beyond left center propelled the Tigers ahead 10-0 in the top of the fourth. A few more runs in the fourth added on by a 3-RBI double from Kendall Bragg in the fifth allowed Northeast to force a run rule win in game one over East Central for their first MACCC win of the 2026 season.
Game two kicked off like the first with a score for the Tigers in the top of the first off another double from Gant to take an early lead before the Warriors countered with their first two runs of the day in the bottom of the inning. Bailey Houston hammered out an RBI double in the second to retake the lead 3-2 before a rally from East Central launched the Warriors ahead 7-3 off a 3-RBI double. By the fourth inning the Tigers' deficit had grew to 9-3 but was cut down off a pair of home runs for Northeast with Kendall Bragg and Jeoreia Henry each sending one beyond the fences to close the gap to 9-7. East Central stepped back up in the bottom of the sixth and slammed out a homer of their own to make it an 11-7 ball game entering the final inning where the Tigers could not respond, finishing the day with a split on the road.
Region 23 was well represented in the latest rankings with #1 Pearl River remaining atop the polls followed by #3 Copiah-Lincoln, #6 Jones, and #8 Louisiana State Eunice staying in the top ten. #13 Itawamba fell two spots in the rankings with #15 Hinds and #19 Northeast remaining still from the week prior while #18 Northwest joins the rankings for the first time this season followed by #24 Mississippi Gulf Coast who rounds out the MACCC.
Softball will be back at the Plex on Tuesday with a doubleheader matchup against Holmes with game one scheduled for a 2:00 PM first pitch.