DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Northwestern baseball team couldn't hold a 3-0 lead in the first round of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament, ultimately losing to Northland College 5-4 in 10 innings. The Eagles will now have to stave off elimination and the conclusion of their season in a 4 p.m. game against the loser of St. Scholastica and Bethany Lutheran, who play at 1 p.m. today.

Northwestern, the lower seeded team in the 2 vs. 3 battle, took advantage of back-to-back doubles to be the first squad to score. Tyler Osborn (Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) ripped a double to right field before scoring on Ryan Sutterer (Anoka, Minn./Anoka )'s double to left center in UNW's next at-bat.  The Eagles struck again in the third frame, using three straight hits to lead 3-0. With runners on second and third, Mike Studer hit a double off of the Lumberjacks' Logan Schuman to pick up a pair of RBI and give Northwestern starting pitcher Connor Olson (Mahtomedi, Minn/Mahtomedi) some breathing room.

Olson was met with some adversity in the fourth though as Matt Lennon answered with a Northland double that scored two runs. With Lennon on second, Olson fielded Matt Alberino's high infield chopper before making a bad throw to first that allowed Lennon to come home, knotting the score at 3-3. Northland got under Olson's skin again in the seventh when Alex Elliott, who was on third, was the go-ahead beneficiary of a wild pitch.

UNW found some favor in the eighth, using a LumberJacks throwing error to have a man on base with one out. Tucker Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) made the most of his opportunity in the batter's box as he threaded the gap in right center for a triple to score John Hietpas (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge), but was stranded on third thanks to a pair of fly outs to follow. Northwestern, who had 11 hits in the game, struggled to take advantage of runners on base throughout the 10-inning affair, leaving 10 ducks on the pond.

Neither team was able to break the 4-4 tie through nine innings, sending the result into extra time. Northwestern batted the minimum three batters in the top half of the frame before Morrell relieved Olson on the mound as Northland came to bat. Jakob Freele started the LumberJacks' opportunity with a walk, advancing to third on Mitchell Howard's single up the middle. With one out on the board, UNW was forced to load the bases to attempt a double play. That defensive approach quickly went sour though as Morrell's pitch hit Daniel Kollauf to score Freele and end the game with Northland on top.

Olson allowed seven hits in nine innings on the hill for the Eagles, striking out six batters. Northland went nine innings with starter Kyle Strom before going to Schuman for the 10th.

Sutterer led Northwestern with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate while Matt Doss (Pillager, Minn./Pillager) and Osborn both collected two hits.