POPLARVILLE – Facing the nation's top-ranked team in LSU Eunice in the opening round of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, the Bengals used a complete-game four-hitter from starter Brady Domangue and capitalized off five Northwest errors to run-rule the Rangers 8-0 in seven innings.
LSU Eunice pushed its winning streak out to 10 games and improved to 46-8 overall, while Northwest fell to 31-17. Eunice will play the winner of Pearl River and 16th-ranked East Central at 7 p.m. Friday and the Rangers will play the loser at 3:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
LSUE struck first in the bottom of the third with two unearned runs, using a pair of leadoff hits by Derek Herrington and Casey Rodrigue and taking advantage of two costly throwing errors.
Northwest threatened in the fourth by getting the leadoff batter, Dylan Castoria, on base and moving him to third, but Domangue induced an inning-ending 3-1 putout to keep the clean slate.
The Bengals then broke it open in the bottom half of the fourth, scoring five runs with two outs.
A failed pickoff attempt at first and third eventually plated two more runs off Adam Angelle's triple down the rightfield line. Angelle would score a batter later off a wild pitch and Buddy McCoy capped the big inning with an RBI-double off the wall in left-center.
Eunice would plate its final run in the fifth, again taking advantage of a leadoff error.
Domangue improved to 13-2 on the year for the Bengals, scattering four hits and six strikeouts against no walks and needing just 76 pitches (54 strikes)
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Cody Reed (8-3) took the loss, giving up eight runs (four earned) off seven hits while walking four and striking out three. Despite the outcome, he set the school's all-time record in innings pitched with 137.2, passing Joel Posey who set the mark in 2000-01.
Ryan Seawright tossed a scoreless sixth for Northwest.
Eunice out-hit Northwest 7-4 on the day.
After exploding for 16 runs in a 16-4 rout of #8 Pearl River last weekend, Northwest has been held scoreless for 16 consecutive innings dating back to the state championship game.
Northwest will try and fight its way out of the loser's bracket once again, and will face the loser of Pearl River and #16 East Central at 3:30 p.m. Friday in an elimination game.
Watch live thanks to PRCC at www.ihigh.com/nwccrangers.
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