Box Score

ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE, Minn. – Solid hitting and some smart base running spurred a key two-run eighth inning that allowed the University of Northwestern to claim Game 1 of a three-game Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) series against Martin Luther by a 3-1 score. With the game locked in a tight pitcher's duel, UNW's Andy Haagenson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley) and Tyler Osborn (Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) strung together consecutive hits before a defensive mistake by the Knights allowed the Eagles to take a lead that never went away. Andy Peterson (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) worked all nine innings to earn his fifth victory of the 2014 campaign.

Martin Luther's lone run of the game came right away in the first inning as leadoff hitter Jake Ziel scored on Matthew Olson's sacrifice fly to right field. The run was not charged to Peterson as being earned though, as an error prolonged what would have been a scoreless frame.

Northwestern answered in the second inning as Ryan Sutterer (Anoka, Minn./Anoka ) came home on a deep infield single by Mike Studer to knot the score at 1-1. Sutterer started Northwestern's at-bat with a deep double that went over Joe Schmudlach's head in center field.

Five straight scoreless innings followed as Ziel and Peterson went back and forth on the mound, forcing the other team to put zeros on the scoreboard as the sun set over Palm Field at St. Anthony Village High School. Peterson got out of a jam in the seventh as Osborn made a diving catch on Thomas Welch's hit in right field before picking William Jensen off at first, ending a threat by the Knights that had runners on first and second following a pair of one-out walks. The game was full of defensive plays, with both teams getting two double plays throughout the nine-inning affair. Northwestern's Taylor McMurray (Vadnais Heights, Minn./Totino-Grace) had the first web gem of the night as he made a leaping grab in center field in the middle innings.

Haagenson led off the eighth, legging out an infield single before going to second on a textbook drag bunt towards first by Osborn as Martin Luther's Galen Holzhueter came in to make the play from first without any of his teammates covering the base. Haagenson stole third with Ziel still having the ball in his hands before an errant throw by the pitcher over Olson's head at third allowed the Eagles to take the lead. Peterson followed with a double to left that brought in Osborn, giving the UNW captain plenty of room to work a one-two-three ninth from the pitcher's rubber.

Peterson struck out five while allowing five hits, while Ziel countered with 10 strikeouts and an equal number of hits in his eight innings of work in the one hour, 58-minute game.

Haagenson, Peterson and Studer all finished with two hits, with Peterson's double being the lone RBI for the Eagles.

Now 16-15 overall and winner of three straight games, Northwestern returns to the diamond at the Palm on Saturday to finish the series with a 12 p.m. doubleheader against the Knights.