Softball Recap: Northwest Rankin Snags 16th Victory in Last 18 Games

Cougars

Margin (Wins)

03/27/25 @ Meridian	18
02/15/25 vs Satsuma	17
04/08/25 @ Pearl	15
03/21/25 vs Pearl	15
03/27/25 @ Meridian	14

Northwest Rankin had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They put the hurt on the St. Martin Yellow Jackets with a sharp 13-3 victory on Thursday. Considering the Cougars have won 14 matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Grace Wallis made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

In other batting news, Jaliya Sullivian was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Brooke Smith was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Northwest Rankin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .542. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.

Northwest Rankin is on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 18 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 25-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for St. Martin, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 12-12 record this season.

Northwest Rankin will have a chance to go back-to-back against St. Martin: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.