Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ST. PAUL – After a successful nine inning game on Friday, the Northwestern College baseball team didn't fare so well in Games 2 and 3 against the University of Minnesota, Morris, as the Eagles lost both games and ultimately the series on Saturday afternoon. NWC led in both affairs before the Cougars posted comeback victories.
In the first game of Saturday's twin bill, Northwestern posted five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 6-3 lead after entering the frame with a 3-1 deficit. Nick Jones (Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata) (Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata) was credited for two RBI on a single to right field that scored Kevin Votaw (Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) (Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) and Mark Halstensgard (St. Anthony, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) (St. Anthony, MInn./Minnehaha Academy). Later in the inning, Dan Halstensgard (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony) (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony) recorded an RBI single to score Jones.
After a quiet fifth inning, Morris responded with five runs of its own to take an 8-6 lead. A costly error by Northwestern could have quieted the Cougar bats early in the inning, but the visiting team built momentum in the four-hit frame that included three doubles.
Jones scored Kurt Votaw (Coon Rapids, Minn./Hinckley Finlayson) (Coon Rapids, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Northwestern couldn't produce any more runs and the Eagles lost 8-7.
Josh Balzer (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) pitched five and one-third innings as NWC's starter, giving up seven earned runs. Walks hurt the freshman all day as he gave five Morris players a pass to first base. After Tyler Campion (Robbinsdale, Minn./Maranatha Christian) (Robbinsdale, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) got the Eagles out of the sixth inning, Andy Borud (Grand Marais, Minn./Cook County) (Grand Marais, Minn./Cook County) hurled a scoreless seventh inning.
Northwestern fell victim to itself even more in Game 2, as relief pitcher Mark Halstensgard (St. Anthony, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) gave it his all to start on the mound for a pitcher-depleted team. Halstensgard threw five innings while taking responsibility for 10 runs, seven of which were earned. After Northwestern scored two runs in the first two runs of the game, Morris answered with back-to-back-to-back three-run innings.
The Eagles, who scored a pair of runs in the first, second and fourth innings, rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh with the tying run at the plate in Zach Markwith (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Louis) (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Louis). Markwith flied out to center field though, and the Eagles' hopes were dashed while the Cougars returned to Morris with their second and third victories of the season.
Ryan Long (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) was one of a few bright spots for the Eagles as the senior went 4-5 at the plate with a pair of RBI. Dan Halstensgard (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony), Brady Erickson (Chisholm, Minn./Chisholm) (Chisholm, Minn./Chisholm) and Zach Holsman (Hill City, Minn./Hill City) (Hill City, Minn./Hill City) each tallied two hits in the game, while Ryan Nelson (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) chalked up two RBI in a 1-4 performance at the plate. One of Erickson's hits was a bomb over the center field wall in the seventh inning – his first as a college baseball player.
In addition to the team's pitching woes, NWC struggled in the field, which was evidenced by five errors in the game. Holsman followed Halstensgard's five innings on the mound with two of his own, giving up one earned run. In all, just eight of Morris' 13 runs were earned.
With the losses, Northwestern slips to 9-13 overall and 2-4 in UMAC play. The Eagles will continue their current home stand on Tuesday, April 13, when NWC hosts Crown College in a 2 p.m. doubleheader. Northwestern beat Crown 16-5 last Wednesday in an abbreviated game that was called short due to a 10-run rule.
