The difference in Tuesday’s game between Vicksburg and Northwest Rankin was clear.

While Avery Mathes was pitching his way out of trouble, Northwest ace Todd McInnis never got into trouble in the first place.

McInnis, a senior right-hander, faced one batter more than the minimum in a two-hit shutout of Vicksburg. He struck out 11, walked one, and didn’t allow a runner past second base as the Cougars worked out a 7-0 victory.

&#8220I was feeling good,” said McInnis, who also went 3-for-3 with three singles and improved his record to 7-1. &#8220I hadn’t been pitching to the best of my ability the last couple of games, but my fastball and off-speed pitches were working tonight.”

Mathes had good stuff, too. He gave the Gators (15-7) five strong innings and kept them in the game as they flailed at McInnis’ offerings.

Mathes (3-2) scattered five hits – all singles, including three in a row when Northwest (22-4) scored three runs in the fourth inning. He walked three, picked off two runners, and never really allowed the Cougars to get into a rhythm at the plate.

All of the base runners lifted Mathes’ pitch count, however, and he gave way to Vernon Wolfe after five innings. Wolfe, who throws about 10 mph harder than the junkballing Mathes, was easy prey for the Cougars. They roughed him up for four runs, two earned, in two innings to pull away.

&#8220We’re a fastball hitting team and (Wolfe) just laid it in there for us,” McInnis said.

The game was scoreless until the third, when Northwest broke through. Anthony Doss led off with a walk, and a pair of one-out singles by Taylor Cochran and McInnis loaded the bases. Jordan King followed with an RBI single to left to put Northwest ahead 1-0.

It was the only run the Cougars scored on a hit in the game. Brett Jeter drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0, and Hunter Ainsworth brought in another run with a fielder’s choice.

Northwest scored two runs in the sixth on an error and a squeeze bunt by Clint Woods. In the seventh, it was a balk with a runner on third and an RBI groundout.

And while the Cougars were playing smallball and manufacturing runs in every conceivable manner, the Gators seemed intent on running themselves out of innings.

Mathes got the Gators’ first hit off of McInnis when he hacked a single into left-center with one out in the fourth. The ball rolled to deep center and Mathes tried to stretch it into a double, but was thrown out easily.

Wolfe led off the fifth with a single and was caught stealing second. Gerald Mims was hit by a pitch two batters later, but was thrown out trying to go from first to third on a wild pitch.

Vicksburg coach Jamie Creel said he wasn’t upset by the missteps, though.

&#8220That’s fine. Of course we want to win the game, but we want to see what we can do against a team like that. We want to see who we can and can’t run against,” Creel said. &#8220I love that the guys played hard like that, and I have no qualms about that.”