Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern split its Friday afternoon doubleheader against Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) foe University of Minnesota Morris in the league's highlighted series of the week. The Cougars from Morris won the first game of the day, 5-4, before UNW stormed back to beat the visitors 16-4 in an abbreviated second contest. The series' rubber match kicks off at 12 p.m. on Saturday at Northwestern's Reynolds Field.

A botched rundown ultimately made the difference in Friday's first game as Morris pulled out a one-run win. With the score tied 1-1 in the second inning, UNW missed an opportunity to record the third out, but a defensive error allowed two runs to score in the Cougars' next at-bat, putting Morris ahead 3-1.

Northwestern responded with a three-run third inning that saw the Eagles retake the lead.

(Mahtomedi, Minn/Mahtomedi) started on the mound for Northwestern. The junior went six innings, allowing seven hits and all five Cougars runs while striking out four. Drew Tennyson (Stuartevant, Wis./Christian Life) came in for the final three frames, allowing three hits along the way. Mitch Reller pitched eight innings to earn the victory for Minnesota Morris.

The bats certainly came alive for Northwestern in Game 2 as the Eagles piled 20 hits on the Cougars in a game that ended early due to a ten-run rule after seven innings. UNW got a big boost with a 10-run fourth inning, adding four more runs in the fifth to put the margin between the two teams over ten.

Sutterer earned an RBI in the third inning as his single scored Andy Haagenson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley) for the first run of the game. Morris put up three runs in the top of the fourth, temporarily taking the lead on a string of two-out hits that put the Cougars up 3-1.

Cue the Eagles' big at-bat in the bottom half of the frame, when Northwestern batted 16 and Morris made two pitching changes. After suffering an injury in UNW's March 22 game against Presentation, Andy Peterson (Rogers, Minn./Rogers), who was penciled in as the Purple and Gold's designated hitter for Friday's second game, led off with a single and ultimately scored on one of Adamson's two doubles in the fourth inning alone. Three batters after Adamson's first plate appearance, Taylor McMurray (Vadnais Heights, Minn./Totino-Grace) blasted a triple to center field that scored two of the team's 10 runs. Multiple RBI from Adamson, McMurray and Sutterer in the fourth helped put UNW ahead 11-3, giving starting pitcher Adam Johnson (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) a comfortable cushion to work with from the mound.

Johnson allowed just one more run as Morris scored its fourth and final run in the top of the fifth frame. From there on out, it was all Northwestern. Adamson hit his third double of the game, adding another RBI, in the fifth while McMurray chalked up another RBI of his own with a single to right that scored Matt Doss (Pillager, Minn./Pillager). In fitting fashion, Sutterer capped of the day with a solo home run to left in the sixth – the freshman's second this week.

After Johnson went six and one-third innings, Benjamin Jenney (Albertville, Minn./Maranatha Christian) got the final two outs of the game for Northwestern from the hill. Johnson's outing included all four of Morris' runs off eight hits coupled with three strikeouts from the 28 batters that the newcomer faced, effectively giving the Eagles freshman his first collegiate victory.

Four different UNW players recorded three hits with Sutterer and Adamson both collecting four RBI. As a team, Northwestern had six hits go for extra bases with both McMurray and Osborn legging out a triple.

Friday's split puts Northwestern at 7-9 overall and 3-1 in UMAC play. Morris will come into Saturday's game with a 7-8 mark (4-1 UMAC).