COON RAPIDS, Minn. – The University of Northwestern baseball team (11-14) picked up its fifth-straight win en route to remaining perfect (4-0) in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play Saturday, as the Eagles swept North Central University (2-20) at Wintercrest Park. UNW blanked NCU 6-0 in the opener before defeating the Rams 12-3 in eight innings in game two.

Game One
A four-run third inning gave the Eagles a comfortable lead and Erik Nyquist (Elk River, Minn./Pine Island) tossed a five-hit shutout through eight innings on the mound to give UNW the victory. Nyquist fanned six, while not issuing a walk. Benjamin Jenney (Albertville, Minn./Maranatha Christian) pitched a scoreless ninth.

Brady Arneson (Fosston, Minn./Fosston) highlighted the big fourth inning for UNW, as the leadoff hitter belted a solo home run. Tyler Osborn (Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) lined an RBI triple, while Brett Reinhart (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) and Ryan Sutterer (Anoka, Minn./Anoka ) added an RBI each.

John Hietpas (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge)' two-run single in the fifth accounted for Northwestern's other runs. Hietpas finished 3-for-4 at the plate, while Reinhart added a pair of hits.

Game Two
UNW picked up right where it left off, as the Eagles plated three runs in the first inning thanks to a Tyler Osborn (Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) RBI double and Ryan Sutterer (Anoka, Minn./Anoka ) two-run single. Sutterer finished the game with three RBI.

The Rams knotted the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third, but the UNW bats came alive again in the fifth, as the Eagles went on to score nine runs in the next four frames to pick up the eight-inning run-rule victory.

Braxton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) and Brett Reinhart (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) both laced two-run doubles in game two to pave the way for UNW. Lindow collected four hits at the dish in addition to his three RBI. Brady Arneson (Fosston, Minn./Fosston) turned in a monster performance at the plate, as he finished 5-for-6, while also scoring three runs.

Tucker Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) went the distance on the bump, surrendering three runs on seven hits. The senior right-hander struck out five, while posting just one walk.

The Eagles will head to Macalester College Monday for a non-conference contest with the Scots. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. Fans can find more information at www.unweagles.com.