The Northwest Rankin Cougars will take on the Clinton Arrows at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Northwest Rankin will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Northwest Rankin had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt North Pike on Friday. Northwest Rankin's pitcher stepped up to hand North Pike an 11-0 shutout. Considering the Cougars have won five matchups by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Northwest Rankin got a great performance from Bella Pierce as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the fewest hits Pierce has allowed since back in March of 2024.
At the plate, Brooke Smith was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. Another player making a difference was Hannah Sullivan, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Northwest Rankin always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Pike only posted an OBP of .263.
Meanwhile, Clinton suffered their closest loss since April 26, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of Newton County by a score of 5-3.
Clinton also got a good showing from Ashlen Albritton, who didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, EstrElla Constancio made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with three doubles and one RBI.
Northwest Rankin's win was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 9.7 runs. As for Clinton, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.
Clinton's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Northwest Rankin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Clinton, though, as they've been averaging only 2.9 strikeouts. Will Northwest Rankin keep running through batters, or will Clinton buck the trend?
Northwest Rankin was able to grind out a solid victory over Clinton when the teams last played back in April of 2019, winning 8-4. Does Northwest Rankin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Clinton turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
