St. Paul, Minn. –– The University of Northwestern baseball team (4-6) fell twice to the University of St. Thomas (3-1) on Saturday afternoon. The Tommies won game one 2-0 and game two 4-2.
Game One
The scoring chances in game one were few and far between, but the Eagles had one right out of the gate. In the bottom of the first, Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) led off with a single, and Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) followed with a one-out single to right to make it first and second. Northwestern was unable to capitalize and left the two runners stranded.
Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) pitched a perfect first and second inning before giving up a two-out double in the third before he walked the following batter. He managed to work his way out of trouble to keep the game tied.
Northwestern's best scoring chance came in the bottom of the sixth.
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) led off with a double to left field, and
Mason Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) recorded a one-out single to advance Peterson to third. St. Thomas managed to work its way out of the jam via a strikeout and fly out to preserve the tie.
In the top of the eighth, St. Thomas hit a two-out, two-run home run to take the lead in extra innings. Northwestern went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the frame after another excellent duel between these two squads.
Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) got his second consecutive start against the Tommies and he once again dominated one of the better lineups in the MIAC. He threw five innings and gave up two hits, walked three, and struck out four while surrendering no runs.
Nicholas Drinken (Randolph, Minn. /Randolph) relieved him and gave up two hits and struck out one in his two innings of work.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) came in for the eighth, and he fell to 1-1 on the season.
Game Two
Pitching dominated in game two once again as Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian), who was named the NCCAA and UMAC pitcher of the week after his previous outing against St. Thomas, got the ball again. Crabb gave up two hits in the top of the first, but he worked his way out of trouble. The Tommies threatened again in the third, but once again Crabb won the battle. St. Thomas took advantage in the fourth, though with a two-out single followed by a triple to right-center to make it 1-0. Crabb limited the damage by getting the following hitter to fly out to right field.
Northwestern struck back and took its first lead of the afternoon in the fifth. Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) got it started with a two-out single before Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) drew a walk. Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) followed with a double to right that brought home both men to make it 2-1 Northwestern. St. Thomas got both of those right back in the sixth as they retook the lead, 3-2. The Tommies added its fourth run in the eighth to finish up the scoring at 4-2.
Northwestern recorded nine hits in the contest. Four Eagles reached base multiple times as
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) went 2-4 with two RBIs,
Mason Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) was 3-4,
Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) was 2-3 with a walk, and
Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) was 0-2 with two walks.
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) followed up his complete-game shutout by surrendering one earned run in six innings while striking out six.
Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) pitched the final three innings and gave up one run and two hits.
Up Next
The Eagles play a doubleheader against Crown College in a non-conference matchup on Monday, March 22nd at Reynolds Field. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:30 pm.
Follow Northwestern baseball online at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter @unwbaseball.
