Booneville, MS – Tuesday was a top twenty matchup in the NJCAA with two long time MACCC rivals going toe-to-toe at the Plex where #20 Northeast and #17 Northwest split on the day with game one going to the Tigers 4-2 and game two being in favor of the Rangers 7-5.
Northwest opened the first inning of game one with an RBI single to take an early lead that was extended to two in the top of the third. Momentum turned in the bottom of the fourth where Northeast finally found their swing when Bailey Houston connected on an RBI single to drive in Kendall Bragg followed by a two-run bomb out to center field to take the lead 3-2. Sophie Gant stepped in to pinch hit and immediately struck gold with an RBI single up the middle to bring home Adin Shelton to propel the lead to 4-2 entering the fifth. Defense for the Tigers held strong the rest of the contest with a double play from third to first base wrapping up the sixth and three straight outs in the top of the seventh to secure game one for Northeast.
Key Stats from Game 1:
- Tatum Berry pitched a complete game for her third win of the season with 48 of her 60 pitches resulting in strikes.
- Houston was the only Tiger to record multiple hits with two while Skelton recorded two RBI off her two-run homer and Bragg snatched up two stolen bases.
Just like game one it was the Rangers in game two who took the first lead with an RBI double to left center in the top of the first. Emma Abrams was able to hold off Northwest for a couple innings with a pair of strikeouts in the second and taking out their batters in order in the third before a pair of runs in the fourth stretched the deficit to three for Northeast. Four more runs in the fifth made it a 7-0 Ranger lead heading into the bottom of the inning where the Tigers finally found their way around the bases with Shelton hammering out an RBI double to bring Skelton home to get on the board. After retiring the batters in order in both the sixth and seventh innings, Northeast stepped back up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and closed the gap with a sacrifice fly by Skelton to bring Bragg home on the throw followed by a 3-RBI double from Gant before the final out wrapped up the score 7-5 in favor of Northwest.
Key Stats from Game 2:
- Abrams pitched a complete game against the Rangers with four strikeouts.
- Shelton went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, one run, and one RBI while Gant went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI.
Northeast softball improves to 32-10 overall on the 2026 season with an even 9-9 record in MACCC action. They will be back on the road this Saturday to take on Mississippi Gulf Coast before heading to Itawamba next Wednesday. The Tigers next home matchup will be a week from Saturday on the 18th when they face another NJCAA Top 10 foe in #6 Jones with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 PM.