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Zach Holsman
Lou Michaels - louthephotoguy.com

Baseball

Eagles roughed up by No. 18 St. Scholastica

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ST. PAUL -- Things didn't go so well for Northwestern in its UMAC-opener against St. Scholastica on Thursday, as the 18th ranked Saints took both games of an afternoon doubleheader in 8-0 and 21-4 fashion. The Eagles will hope to rebound on Saturday against a team that has made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

After a one-two-three first inning, St. Scholastica got to NWC pitcher Josh Balzer (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) (Mounds View, Minn./Mounds View), posting two runs in each of the second and third innings of the first game. Both runs in the second frame were unearned, but those in the third and beyond were all the freshman's responsibility. Mark Meredith (Robbinsdale, Minn./Armstrong) (Golden Valley, Minn./Armstrong) came in to pitch the final two innings after the Saints scored three in the fifth. Meredith, a sophomore, gave up just one run on two hits.

Andy Borud (Grand Marais, Minn./Cook County) (Grand Marais, Minn./Cook County), Ryan Nelson (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) and Zach Holsman (Hill City, Minn./Hill City) (Hill City, Minn./Hill City) accounted for the Eagles' three hits in the game. St. Scholastica tallied 10 hits in seven innings.

Instead of getting better, things went further south for Northwestern in the second game as the Eagles were outhit 22-5. St. Scholastica scored runs in all but one of the seven innings, but no frame hurt NWC more than a seven-run sixth frame that came from six hits and two walks.

Northwestern's best inning came in the second, when the Eagles put a two-spot on the board. Kurt Votaw (Coon Rapids, Minn./Hinckley Finlayson) (Coon Rapids, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) earned an RBI when Nelson crossed the plate on a groundout before a Holsman single brought in Kevin Votaw (Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson).

The Eagles scored again in the third when Mike Sharp (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) walked with the bases loaded to score Dan Halstensgard (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony) (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony). NWC's final run of the day came in the sixth as Sharp scored on a sacrifice fly by Brady Erickson (Chisholm, Minn./Chisholm) (Chisholm, Minn./Chisholm).

Nelson started on the mound for Northwestern in Game 2, but the junior didn't last long, yielding five runs in two innings. Things didn't get any better for the Eagles from there, as the next three pitchers gave up 16 runs in five frames.

Offensively, Nelson tacked on another hit for the day, finishing 2-4 with a run scored. Sharp was 2-2 in the second game, driving in a run while scoring one of his own. Holsman also recorded a hit and an RBI.

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 7-10 overall and 0-2 in UMAC play. Northwestern's shot at redemption begins at 12 p.m. on Friday, April 2, when St. Scholastica (15-3, 2-0 UMAC) returns to Reynolds Field for the final contest in the three-game series.
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