The Northwest Rankin Cougars will take on the Oak Grove Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Oak Grove will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Northwest Rankin extended their winning streak to 12 on Tuesday. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand Pearl a 15-0 shutout. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 12, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Grace Wallis was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Wallis was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two triples and three RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Northwest Rankin let Brooke Smith and Jaliya Sullivian run wild. Smith scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Sullivian went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most RBI Sullivian has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Sybil Glover, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Northwest Rankin kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pearl only managed one hit.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Oak Grove made sure to put some runs up on the board against Meridian on Monday. The Warriors put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 19-4 victory. The Warriors' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Haiden Leach spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Abbie Merchant was a standout: she went 3-for-6 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Cadence Sheppard was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.
Northwest Rankin's win was their 23rd straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-2. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 10.1 runs this season. As for Oak Grove, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Oak Grove's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Northwest Rankin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Oak Grove, though, as they've been averaging only 2.9 strikeouts. Will Northwest Rankin keep running through batters, or will the Warriors buck the trend?
Everything went Northwest Rankin's way against Oak Grove in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Northwest Rankin made off with a 15-0 win. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
