Kansas City, Miss. -- The University of Northwestern baseball team (1-3) opened up its season with a four-game series against Northwestern College (7-7). The two teams met twice on Thursday and two more times on Saturday. The Raiders won the first three games by scores of 17-4. 8-7, and 7-2, but the Eagles closed out the series with a 7-5 win.

Game One

The Eagles threatened to take the lead in the top of the second after Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) reached via an error. The senior advanced to second on the team's first stolen base of the young season but was left stranded on third base. 

In the fourth, Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) reached via a hit by pitch and came around to score when Eric Peterson (Coon Valley, Wis./Westby) reached on an error to give UNW its first lead of the season. The Raiders responded with six runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame to take a commanding lead. The wheels fell off in the fifth as NWC put up nine more tallies to make it 15-1.

Simonson continued his hot start to the season with a single to left. He then stole second and third and scored on Eric Peterson's (Coon Valley, Wis./Westby) second RBI of the afternoon. Two more runs came across for the Raiders in the sixth to make it 17-2, but the Eagles got both of those back in the seventh. Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) got the scoring started with a deep single to right which scored Chad Wakabayashi (Waipahu, Hawaii/Hanalani). Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) drew a bases loaded walk (the third walk of the inning for UNW) which brought home Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights), but that was all the Eagles could muster.

Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) (0-1) was the Opening Day starter for the Eagles and he gave up three earned runs in four innings of work. Sam Szymanski (Woodbury, Minn./Homeschool) relieved him in the fifth and Brandon Welch (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) and Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) followed him on the mound.

Game Two

Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) (0-1) got the start on the mound in game two. After a brief hiccup in the first, the senior settled down and cruised through the next few innings.

UNW fought back from the early 2-0 hole and took the lead in the fourth with a three run frame. Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) got hit by a pitch and then stole both second and third. The Eagles were running wild early on in this series as Simonson recorded another theft to make it second and third with one-out. Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) singled home Peterson and then Crabb added the team's seventh steal in 10 innings of play before both Simonson and Crabb came home on Ben Spores's (Arlington, Wa./Arlington) single to left.

NWC took the lead for good in the bottom half of the frame, as they scored five times thanks to two Eagle errors. UNW got one back in the fifth as Morrell scored after the NWC catcher overthrew the pitcher, but the Eagles stranded runners on first and second.

Nick Drinken came in for his collegiate debut on the mound in the sixth and struck out two while giving up one run. The Eagles did not go quietly in their last hacks though. The top of the order came through as Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) reached via a HBP. Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) singled him home and then Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) scored the Eagles sixth run of the ballgame as he stole home. UNW added its seventh run on a sacrifice fly to right by Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton), but they fell just short as the game ended 8-7.

The hits were hard to come by, but the Eagles had plenty of action on the base paths since they drew eight walks. Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) threw five innings and gave up two earned runs in his first start of the season.

Game Three

The two teams returned to action on Saturday after a JV double header on Friday, including a thrilling 9-8 victory for UNW's JV All-Stars in game two. Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) (0-1) started off his senior season on the mound with a 1-2-3 top of the first with two strikeouts. NWC took the 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but UNW answered in their half. Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) got his first hit of the young season to drive home Simonson, who had singled to start the frame. 

Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) kept putting up zeroes until the fifth inning. NWC scored six times to take the 7-1 lead thanks to a bases-clearing double. In the sixth, Lindow made sure to continue to show off his prowess behind the plate by throwing out his first base runner of the season. The Eagles added their second run of the game in the seventh as Mason Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) was hit by a pitch with one-out. Then Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) advanced him to third on a double to right and Brett Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) hit a sacrifice fly to score his cousin.

Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) threw 4.1 innings and gave up seven runs while striking out six. He was relieved by Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) who struck out 3 in 2.2 innings.

Game Four

UNW got its first win of the season in the final game of the series. The two sides traded haymakers in the first as NWC put up two runs on Sam Ludzack (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) as the Eagles continued to show off its stable of fantastic starting pitchers. The Eagles loaded the bases with no outs in their half thanks to a leadoff single by Simonson and two walks to Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and Vercoe. Szafraniec hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Simonson, and then Mason Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) made the Raiders pay for the two walks with a double to deep left field. He came around to score on a throwing error to make it 4-2 after one inning of play.

Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) kept the train moving in the second as he led off with a double to right and Simonson continued his torrid start with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 5-2. Ludzack remained dialed in as he struck out two in the third but the Raiders got one back in the fourth.

NWC tied it in the fifth, but Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) did not let it stay tied for long. He crushed a two-run homer to right on the first pitch that he saw in the fifth to bring home Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin). Nick Drinken recorded his first collegiate win on the mound as he came in and shut the door on the Raiders in 2.1 innings of work.

In the four-game series, Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) reached base seven times, scored five times, drove home two runs, and stole four bases. Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) reached eight times, scored five times, and stole three bags of his own. 

Up Next

The Eagles returned home on Saturday night and will play at U.S. Bank Stadium on Tuesday afternoon against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:00 pm.