The Northwest Rankin Cougars will square off against the Meridian Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Northwest Rankin and Warren Central had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Cougars came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 9-4 on Saturday. The game was the first time the Cougars have beaten the Vikings on their field since April 8, 2022.
Brady Saxton was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Northwest Rankin is 2-0-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-12 otherwise. Saxton was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. What's more, he posted two doubles, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
In other pitching news, Jack Page looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
JM Moore
| 04/05/25 @ Warren Central | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Pearl | 1 |
| 03/21/25 @ Petal | 1 |
| 03/13/25 vs East Central | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Grenada | 1 |
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on JM Moore, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Eli Ladner was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Meridian). Everything went their way against Vicksburg on Saturday as they made off with a 19-5 victory. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Wildcats as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Bryson Jackson made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Jackson was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Blake Logan was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Ali Jimerson, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Meridian's victory bumped their record up to 7-13. As for Northwest Rankin, their win bumped their record up to 9-12-1.
Everything went Northwest Rankin's way against Meridian in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Northwest Rankin made off with a 13-2 victory. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
