MINNEAPOLIS – Back from its spring break trip to sunny Florida, the Northwestern College baseball team went indoors again in its native Minnesota on Wednesday night for a doubleheader against Marian University (Wis.). The Eagles used a four-run sixth inning to beat the Sabres 6-1 in Game 1 before Marian rebounded for a 6-3 win over NWC in the second game of the twin bill.

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Andy Peterson (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) put on a sensational performance from the mound in Wednesday's first contest as the junior allowed just the one (earned) run while striking out six of the 28 batters he faced. The junior faced a jam in the bottom of the fifth inning when the Eagles were clinging to a 2-1 lead as Marian had runners on second and third bases with just one out. The junior responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the tension, allowing Northwestern to go to the plate for what turned out to be a productive sixth frame.

The Eagles' Taylor Gonyea (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) took advantage of an intentional walk to Cody Kielsa (Howard Lake, Minn./Rogers) that loaded the bases to force a potential double play ball with one out on the board. Gonyea singled off of Sam Forkert to score Cody Durkee (Wilton, N.D./Wilton) before Taylor Kauweloa (Kailua, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) drilled a bases-clearing triple to right center field to pad Northwestern's prior one run advantage to a five-run margin. Peterson allowed just one Marian hit in the last two innings to finish the game.

Zach Markwith (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Louis) had three hits for NWC, while Durkee and Kauweloa each added two hits apiece. As a team, Northwestern out-hit Marian 9-5.

Game 2 didn't go as well for Northwestern as Marian scored runs in five innings to win on a 6-3 account. After the Sabres scored a run in the top of the second inning, Northwestern answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame on a Kent Hetland (Osakis, Minn./River Valley Homeschool) single past the shortstop that scored Kauweloa.

Marian (6-4) proceeded to take back the lead with a run in the third inning before a two-run fifth gave the visitors on the scoreboard a 4-1 advantage. Markwith, who started the game on the hill for the Eagles, was done after four and one-third innings, yielding the mound to Josh Balzer (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View), who went the final two and two-thirds.

Northwestern scored two runs in its last offensive opportunity in the batter's box, with RBIs coming from the bats of Kauweloa and Andy Haageson after Kielsa led off with a double.

The Eagles' five hits in the game were spread out as no NWC player was able to tally more than one apiece. Markwith was charged with three earned runs, with Balzer taking responsibility for one.

Now 5-10 overall, Northwestern isn't scheduled to play again for over a week, but the Eagles' next competition may be postponed, much like NWC's originally scheduled games against Finlandia on March 23 and Augsburg on March 26 (both of which have been moved to April dates). For now, Northwestern will prepare for it's conference-opener against Northland College, which, for the mean time, is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday, March 29.