Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ST. PAUL -- The Northwestern College baseball team has won five consecutive games following Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of Crown College at Reynolds Field. The Eagles used a five-run third inning to win the first game 10-1 before overcoming an early Storm lead to win Game 2 by a 5-3 score.

In the first game of the day, Northwestern poured on nine hits over seven innings while getting a solid five-inning performance on the mound from Josh Balzer (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View). Balzer struck out four of the 21 batters he faced before handing the ball to Zach Markwith (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Louis) to finish the game. Markwith didn't give up a hit in the sixth and seventh frames, shutting down Crown's bats.

At the plate, the Eagles first did damage in the second inning. David Joseph (Kimball, Minn/Kimball) and Josh Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian) hit back-to-back singles before an RBI groundout from Mark Meredith (Robbinsdale, Minn./Armstrong) scored Joseph. Hanson then scored on a passed ball to put NWC up 2-0.

Northwestern hit jackpot in the third inning, tying together five runs on three hits to go with three Crown errors. Cody Durkee (Wilton, N.D./Wilton) scored from third on a successful double steal with Markwith taking second base before Hanson hit an RBI single to score Markwith. Meredith picked up another RBI on a fielder's choice and an Andy Haagenson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley) single brought home Hanson.

Crown scored its only run of the game in the fourth inning as the Storm hit four consecutive singles. Northwestern answered that run with a score of its own in the fifth as Hanson led off the inning with a solo home run over the center field fence, his second of the year. The Eagles continued to excel at the plate, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Taylor Kauweloa (Kailua, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) earned an RBI on a sacrifice fly before Meredith's third RBI of the game came on a single to center.

Markwith took to the hill in the second game, earning outs when he needed them most to avoid handing the Storm their first victory of the year. Crown led early as the visitors strung more singles together to score first. Northwestern answered with a two-run fourth inning to take the lead. Markwith sparked the team with a leadoff double before scoring on Kauweloa's single in the Eagles' next at-bat. Kauweloa crossed the plate two batters later as Hanson hit a sacrifice fly to center field, deep enough to bring in NWC's second run of the game.

Northwestern added three insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth, with two of them turning out to be needed. Cody Kielsa (Howard Lake, Minn./Rogers) and Cody Durkee (Wilton, N.D./Wilton) used smart base running to land on second and third, and Markwith made sure they scored on his single to center. Markwith then crossed the plate himself on a costly defensive error by Crown's Zayne Ellis.

The Storm made it a game with a two-run sixth. Northwestern should have been out of the inning, but Meredith's swinging third strike against Nick Gillette bounced out of play and the batter was correctly awarded first base. A Truman Shetler double scored Molitor before Shetler scored on Brandon Nicholas' RBI single. The sixth inning wasn't the only frame that made Eagles fans nervous with ducks on the pond, as the same thing happened in the seventh. Fortunately for Meredith, the senior earned two straight strikeouts and a groundout to end the game with runners on second and third.

Crown owned the hits column in Game 2 by a 13-7 margin, but the Eagles forced the Storm into 12 runners left on base.

Markwith finished 2-3 in the batter's box, scoring twice to go with a pair of RBI. Meredith finished with seven strikeouts and three runs, all of which were earned.

Following the twin bill wins, Northwestern improves to 13-9 overall and 7-1 in UMAC play. The Eagles will resume their conference schedule on Friday, when NWC hosts the University of Minnesota Morris for the first of a three-game weekend series at Reynolds Field. With a win, Northwestern could match its season win total from the 2011 campaign. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.