Ashland, Wisc. — The University of Northwestern baseball team (25-8, 13-1 UMAC) made the trek up to Northland College on Saturday to take on the Lumberjacks (4-19, 2-6 UMAC). For the first time since 1996, the Eagles clinched at least a share of the conference title with the sweep. The Eagles need to win one of the two at Crown on Tuesday to win the title outright. They won game one 6-3 and game two 11-4 to extend the winning streak to ten. 

Game One

Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) led off the top of the first with a double before coming around to score on Bryce Crabb's (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) RBI triple to right. Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) made it 2-0 on his sacrifice fly to give Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) some early run support on the mound.

Northland got one back thanks to an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame. In the bottom of the second, the first two Northland hitters reached to set up first and second with no outs. The next hitter hit a screaming line drive to Crabb, who then doubled off the runners on second and first to record a triple play. 

Simonson got the offense right back into gear in the top of the third. He led off the inning with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on Crabb's single. The senior scored when Crabb stole second base, and then the sophomore scored on Sam Peterson's (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) RBI groundout to make it 4-1. 

Simonson and Crabb both recorded singles to lead off the fifth in the third time that they led off a frame. Both runners moved up 90 feet on stolen bases, and Simonson scored on an error. Crabb and Peterson eventually recorded the second double steal of the inning, but they were left stranded in scoring position.

The Lumberjacks added two in the sixth to cut the deficit to 5-3, but that was the closest they got. In the top of the ninth, Northwestern scored a crucial insurance run on Peterson's RBI double to left to drive home Simonson, who led off the frame with a walk. Wall recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth, and Northwestern took game one. 

Simonson recorded three hits and scored four runs. Crabb also had three hits, and Peterson drove in three runs. Wall gave up eight hits in his complete game but only surrendered one earned run, which helped to lower the staff ERA, which came into the game top 25 in the country. 

Game Two

Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) hit his eleventh home run of the year, one short of the single-season record, to give the Eagles the early 1-0 lead. The Jacks struck right back, though, with one of their own in the bottom half of the frame.

Northwestern got three in the fourth to make it a 4-1 game. Vercoe singled to center to lead off the inning, and he moved into scoring position on a stolen base. Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) brought him home on a single to right to help Northwestern regain the lead. After a Morrell stolen base, an Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) infield single, and a Severson stolen base, the Eagles had two runners in scoring position, and both runners moved up on a passed ball. Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) then drove in Severson with an RBI groundout to give Sam Ludzack (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) the three-run cushion on the mound. The lead didn't last long, though, as Northland battled right back to tie the score in the bottom of the frame. 

In the fifth, Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) hit a two-out double to center to help ignite the offense. Vercoe reached on an error, and Crabb scampered all the way home. Two key runs came across in the seventh to make it a 7-4 game. Simonson and Crabb hit back-to-back doubles, and Morrell eventually followed with a double of his own to bring in Crabb. 

In the ninth, Vercoe and Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) led off with singles. Severson and Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) recorded RBI singles, Eric Peterson (Coon Valley, Wis./Westby) had an RBI double, and Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) hit a sacrifice fly to end the scoring at 11-4. 

Sam Ludzack (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) gave up four runs in six innings while striking out seven. Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) threw the final three innings and recorded his third save of the season. Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) and Severson both had three of the seventeen Northwestern hits. Every hitter reached at least once.

Up Next

Northwestern travels to Crown College on Tuesday, May 4th in the final conference doubleheader. The Eagles will look to win the regular-season championship outright with at least a split and would clinch home-field advantage in the UMAC tournament. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:30 pm in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota.

Follow Northwestern baseball online at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter @unwbaseball.