Rangers rout Blazers with help from 14-run inning
Having already won Game 1, Ranger got off to a slow start in the second game of the doubleheader against North Lake College as the Blazers were up 3-0 headed to the second inning. That changed quickly in the third inning when RC sent 19 batters to the plate and scored 14 runs highlighted by a Kaleb Thompson grand slam, which led the Rangers to a 16-5 five-inning win and a sweep of the double dip.
GAME 1
The opener was much closer, but still provided plenty of offense, RC led 5-0 after the first inning but had their lead stolen away by the time they came to the plate in the third inning. Ranger tied the game at 6-6 when they came to the dish in the fifth inning. A one-out walk, as it does so many times, sparked a Rangers rally, Caden Rosholt doubled which scored Tucker Burton and Anthony Huggins to give Ranger an 8-6 lead. JJ Padilla followed with a double that scored Rosholt and gave RC a 3-run lead.
North Lake tried to threaten over the final two innings but Ricky Gerik came on and pitched the final inning and 2/3 to pick up the save and give the Rangers a 9-6 win.
Bo Dallas picked up the win. He didn't allow a run over 2 1/3 innings and allowed just two hits.
Rosholt drove in five.
Noah Winkleman went deep and had a pair of RBIs.
GAME 2
In danger of dropping the second game of a doubleheader to North Lake for the second time this season, RC got to work in the third inning. It got off a good start with a combo of two singles and a two-RBI triple from Thompson, which gave the Rangers their first lead of the game 4-3, and they wouldn't give it up. A strikeout followed for the first out of the inning, it took 12 more hitters for the Blazers to get the second out of the inning, by that time they trailed 16-3. Over those dozen batters, Ranger took advantage of a pair of errors, two hit by pitches and two RBI singles all prior to Thompson smacking his grand slam. Ranger scored another two runs on bases-loaded walk and Kyler Strode RBI single to cap the 14-run inning.
Thompson and Strode combined to drive in 10 of the Rangers 16 runs, Thompson had 6 RBIs to go along with his triple and home run. Strode added four 4RBIs.
Blake Hoffman took advantage of the run support picking up the win striking out nine over four innings and just allowing two earned runs.