Hughes and McGowan Power Raiders to Wednesday Doubleheader Sweep

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida turned in a dominant performance Wednesday, sweeping Meridian behind standout efforts from Bre Hughes and Karson McGowan.

Game One: NWF 5, Meridian 1

Bre Hughes led the charge in the opener, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and single as the Raiders secured a 5-1 victory.

Northwest Florida struck early in the bottom of the first. Karson McGowan ripped a double down the left-field line to plate a run, and Falyn Beebe followed with an RBI single to center to make it 2-0.

Hughes extended the lead in the fifth with a solo shot to center field. The Raiders added two more runs in the sixth when Julie Stevens launched a solo homer to center and Hughes delivered an RBI double to push the advantage to 5-1.

Savannah Carter earned the win in the circle, allowing one unearned run on three hits over 4.1 innings while striking out seven. Isabelle Warrick closed the door with 2.2 shutout innings in relief, giving up two hits and striking out two without a walk.

Northwest Florida totaled 12 hits in the game, with McGowan and Beebe each adding multiple hits. The Raiders were aggressive on the base paths, swiping four bags.

Game Two: NWF 18, Meridian 0

The Raider offense exploded in the nightcap, rolling to an 18-0 run-rule victory.

Karson McGowan drove in four runs, highlighted by a three-run homer to left in the first inning and an RBI double in the third. Jaci Gary added a sacrifice fly in the opening frame as Northwest Florida jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

The Raiders continued to pour it on. Bre Hughes homered to left in the second, and McGowan added another RBI after being hit by a pitch. A seven-run third inning broke the game open, featuring a two-run homer by Allison Farnsworth, an RBI double from McGowan, a two-run double by Julie Stevens, and a two-run single from AJ Vineski.

Northwest Florida capped the scoring with five runs in the fourth. Savannah Carter blasted a three-run homer to left, Travis added a solo shot to center, and Mallory Baker drove in a run with a single.

Marlee Parsons started in the circle and tossed three shutout innings, allowing two hits while striking out five. Baker finished the combined shutout with two scoreless innings of relief.

The Raiders piled up 18 hits in the win. Hughes and Stevens each recorded three hits, while Vineski and Beebe added multi-hit performances. Hughes swiped two bases as Northwest Florida totaled three steals, drew five walks, and played error-free defense to complete the sweep.