No. 11 Softball strikes early to sweep Northwest with 8-3 Game 2 win

SENATOBIA, Miss. – The No. 11 Indians set the tone early in their 8-3 Game 2 win to pick up the sweep over Northwest Mississippi Community College on Wednesday.

ICC (15-3, 6-0 MACJC) got started early, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Cori Childs (New Site) was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Shelby Newsom (Cleveland). Macey Cox (Troy, Tenn.) doubled to move Newsom to third before an error by the Rangers (4-10, 0-6 MACJC) allowed Newsom to score.

Northwest put a runner on second before Olivia Burns (Grenada) picked up back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam in the bottom of the first.

Burns helped her own cause with a single to start the second inning and advanced to third on a double by Rachel Sternisha (Olive Branch). Meg Sullivan (Springville, Ala.) ripped a one-out single to plate Newsom. The Indians took a 4-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Samantha Conley (Mandeville, La.) to score Childs, who drew a walk to load the bases with no outs in the inning.

The Rangers put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom half of the inning, but a fly ball to center field and the third strikeout of the game by Burns ended the inning.

ICC picked up two more runs in the third. Cox was hit by a pitch and was replaced on the bases by Madison Carnes (Ecru). Springfield doubled to push Carnes to third and both scored on a single by Burns.

Northwest got a run back in the bottom half of the third when Shelby Wilson drew a walk to start the inning and scored on a two-out single by Katie Brownlee. Harley Stoufflet singled and scored on a double by Morgan Gresham, who scored on a double by Wilson to cut the Indians' lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth.

Both teams exchanged scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth.

The Indians tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Cox and Hannah Williams (Philadelphia) reached on back-to-back errors. Cox was thrown out at home when Springfield advanced to second on a fielder's choice, but the catcher was called for obstruction allowing the run to score. Williams scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Indians a 8-3 lead heading to the bottom half of the inning.

Burns went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and 2 stolen bases. She improved to 7-2 after giving three runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in four innings of work.

The Rangers put runners on first and second before Cox closed the door on the rally and secured the sweep with an 8-3 win in the nightcap. She threw two innings of scoreless and hitless inning to pick up her first save of the season.

ICC will face No. 8 East Central Community College (14-4, 3-3 MACJC) on Friday with Game 1 starting at 2:00 p.m. in Fulton.

For more information on ICC softball, follow the Indians on Twitter (@LetsGoICC).