ST. PAUL – The Northwestern Eagles (15-16, 10-4) split with the Minnesota Morris Cougars (9-21, 8-6) on Tuesday.  They lost game one 4-1 before winning game two 15-6.
 
Game One
The Eagles offense hit the ball hard in game one, but everything was right at the Cougar fielders.  Northwestern only managed to have five hits and struggled to find holes in the Cougars defense.
 
The Eagles lone run came in the bottom of the seventh after Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) hit a double and then Bradley Spencer (Papillion, NE/Papillion South) scored him with an RBI single to center field.  Nathan Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) also had a hit and then Eric Peterson (Coon Valley, Wis./Westby) had two hits, including a ground-rule double.
 
Philip Wall (Juneau, AK./IDEA) got the start for the Eagles and threw seven innings.  He gave up three earned runs, four total, while scattering nine hits.  Nick Fladager (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) pitched the final two innings and struck out two while walking one.
 
Game Two
The nightcap was a completely different outcome for the Eagles offense.  Morris got on the board in the top of the first, but Northwestern responded with five in the bottom half of the inning.  Carter Michaelson (South St. Paul, Minn./South St. Paul) hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to score Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and then Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) had the exclamation point with a three run home run to left field.  Andrew Simonson (Lakeland, Minn./Eastridge) also singled to score Bradley Spencer (Papillion, NE/Papillion South) to get the early lead.
 
The Eagles added two more in the bottom of the second as Carter Michaelson (South St. Paul, Minn./South St. Paul) singled home both Caleb Piersma (Pella, Iowa/Pella) and Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool).  The Cougars scored five runs in the top of the fourth to make it 7-6, but Northwestern scored four in the bottom half to put them away.  Bradley Spencer (Papillion, NE/Papillion South) hit a sacrifice fly to score Michaelson, but then Andrew Simonson (Lakeland, Minn./Eastridge) hit a three run home run to score Lindow and Nathan Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin).
 
The Eagles added one more run in each of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. In the fifth, Aaron Krahn (Roseau, Minn./Roseau) doubled to score Morrell.  In the sixth, Ehnstrom scored when Simonson hit into a bases loaded double play.  In the seventh, Michaelson singled home Piersma and in the eighth Simonson singled home Ehnstrom.
 
Nathan Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) pitched six strong innings as he gave up three earned runs and scattered nine hits over the outing.  Carter Michaelson (South St. Paul, Minn./South St. Paul) pitched the final three innings to get his first collegiate save and struck out four while only giving up two hits.
 
The Eagles next play on Thursday, May 3 against Hamline University with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.  The Eagles will honor their two seniors, Nathan Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and Samuel Grover (Savage, Minn./Eagle Ridge Academy), throughout the game.