By Robert Wilson
Photos by Brad Bridges (Photo Gallery at bottom)
The Northwest Rankin baseball team’s motto this season is Run It Back, in other words repeat at MHSAA Class 6A state champions.
If the Cougars play like they did Monday night in the first game of this year’s 6A state playoffs, they just might run it back.
Northwest Rankin – with six new starters in the 10-man lineup from last year’s state title team – defeated Oak Grove 10-0 in six innings to win Game 1 of its best of three series at Northwest Rankin in Brandon.
Northwest Rankin, the No. 2 seed from Region 6, improved to 19-6-1. Oak Grove, the No. 3 seed from Region 5, dropped to 16-10. The two teams meet Friday at 7 p.m. in Game 2 at Oak Grove in Hattiesburg. Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Northwest Rankin. The winner plays Biloxi, the No. 1 seed from Region 8, next week in the second round.
Senior right-handed pitcher and Hinds Community College signee Dawson Muenzenmay was outstanding from Northwest Rankin Monday night. He allowed only three hits and no runs with no walks and four strikeouts. Muenzenmay – who came into the game with a 6-1 record and a 1.10 earned run average – was so dominant that Oak Grove didn’t get a runner to third base. He threw only 74 pitches, 45 for strikes.
Senior centerfielder and Copiah-Lincoln CC signee Tucker Jones got all the runs Muenzenmay needed with a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the first. Senior first baseman and Hinds CC signee Powell Ingram added a run with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead after one inning. The Cougars added five more runs in the second inning, keyed by sophomore right fielder Brady Saxton’s two-run single, for a 7-0 cushion. Senior shortstop and East Central CC signee Langston Cotton hit a two RBI home run in the fourth for a 9-0 lead and Northwest Rankin scored a run in the sixth to stop the game on the 10-run rule.
Jones had three hits and Cotton, Saxton and junior third baseman Trey Davidson had two hits each. Jones and Cotton scored three runs each. Cotton and Saxton had two RBIs each.
Northwest Rankin coach KK Aldridge is in his third year as head coach after being promoted when longtime Jeff McClaskey retired. Aldridge not only led the Cougars to the state title last season, but earned PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Coach of the Year with a surprising 6A state runner-up finish to Madison Central, which finished No. 1 in the country, in his first year.
“I was very proud of how our guys came out and swung the bats from the start,” Aldridge said. “Dawson was in complete control on the mound all night. When the top of our order hits the way they did last night, we can be a very dangerous team. Our lineup seemed like it was turning over quick and even some of the outs we made were loud. It was probably the most complete game we have played all year. It’s great to see because you want to be playing your best baseball right now. Hopefully, we can continue that on Friday and close out this first series.”
The 2022 Cougars were dominant all season long and finished with a 34-3 record and their first state title since 2005. Senior pitcher-shortstop and Southern Miss signee Nick Monistere had a monster year. He had an 11-1 record, a 1.53 earned run average and 115 strikeouts in 73 innings. Monistere hit a team-high .425 with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 8 home runs, 33 runs and 36 RBIs.
Monistere was one of five Northwest Rankin players on the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson team. The other four – all seniors – were relief pitcher Ryan Herbison, third baseman Brice Ainsworth, pitcher Connor Brooks and designated hitter Brady Thomas. All four are playing college baseball, Monistere at Southern Miss, Herbison (Copiah-Lincoln CC), Ainsworth (Hinds CC), Brooks (Jones CC) and Thomas (Meridian CC).
This year’s team wants to repeat what that group did and are off to a great start after Monday night’s performance.
