ST. PAUL – Entering the 2015 season, the University of Northwestern didn't expect a question mark in its hitting. Just that has happened though, as the Eagles were out-hit 8-6 on Friday by a Northland College squad that has a team earned run average (ERA) of 7.57 in a 2-1 loss. UNW has compiled a .274 average at the plate to date, nearly 30 points lower than their opponents. Both Northwestern and Northland will be back at the diamond on Reynolds Field on Saturday to play the second and third contests of their scheduled Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) three-game opening series.

Connor Olson (Mahtomedi, Minn/Mahtomedi) was strong on the mound for Northwestern, going eight innings in a six-strikeout effort. Unfortunately for Olson, it wasn't his pitching that struggled, but rather an errant throw in an attempted seventh inning pickoff that allowed both of the LumberJacks' runs to score. Northland had runners on second and third when Jakob Freele hit a bouncer back to Olson, who had Alex Loberger caught off the bag at third. The throw sailed high of UNW's Matt Doss (Pillager, Minn./Pillager), and despite Olson shutting down the rest of the LumberJack lineup, UNW couldn't score the needed runs in its own at-bats.

Northwestern's run came in the sixth, when Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School)'s sacrifice fly scored Brock Peterson (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) from third in a bases loaded situation. Much like Wednesday's game against Hamline and last week versus Saint Mary's, UNW was plagued by a double play in the fourth frame to squash an opportunity that came with a leadoff hit by Tyler Osborn (Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian).

Benjamin Jenney (Albertville, Minn./Maranatha Christian) came into pitch for Olson in the ninth, getting three outs from the minimum number of batters. Northwestern had some momentum in the bottom half of the frame with Doss walking to start things off. Taylor McMurray (Vadnais Heights, Minn./Totino-Grace) bunted Doss to second in a sacrifice situation, but Ryan Sutterer (Anoka, Minn./Anoka )'s pinch hit resulted in a groundout and Braxton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls)'s liner to center field was caught to end the game.

Osborn had two of UNW's six hits with Morrell, Nathan Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin), and Doss each adding a hit in the 5-6-7 spots in head coach Dave Hieb's lineup. Loberger went 2-3 at the plate for Northland, who will return to the batter's box at 12 p.m. on Saturday for a pair of nine-inning games.