Carver, Minn. –– The University of Northwestern baseball team (27-8, 15-1 UMAC) continued its storybook season with a sweep of Crown College (16-21, 9-5 UMAC) to clinch its first conference title since 1996. Northwestern extended its winning streak to 12 games and has won 23 out of the last 25 games. The Eagles won game one 3-1 (F/11) and game two 13-3 (F/7). As a result of winning the regular-season title, Northwestern will host the UMAC baseball tournament from May 20th-23rd.
Game One
Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) (5-0) got the start on the mound, and he continued to pitch at an All-Conference level with a masterful performance. Pitching on just three day's rest, the sophomore threw all eleven innings, struck out 15 Crown batters, and walked no one while only surrendering one unearned run with five hits. In his four conference starts, he has pitched 35 innings, struck out 51, and allowed only one earned run (0.26 ERA) to put himself in a phenomenal position to win UMAC Pitcher of the Year.
Northwestern had runners on second and third in the top of the first, but they could not grab the early lead. Crown took advantage and got their one tally in the bottom of the first inning when Seth Betts reached via an error. He scored on a wild pitch to give Crown the early lead, which held until the eighth inning as both pitchers traded zeroes.
Both teams had chances throughout the contest as Crown had runners in scoring position in both the second and third innings, but Boerema shut the door.
Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) reached on a one-out error in the top of the fifth and advanced to third on the play. He was left stranded, but the same would not be true in the same situation in the eighth.
Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) hit a one-out triple to right-center field to set up the heart of the Eagle order.
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) delivered with a huge RBI double to left-center to tie the game and gave Northwestern a chance to take the lead.
Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) followed with a single to left, and Crown intentionally walked
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) to load the bases, but the bases were left full.
The tie game was safe in the left arm of
Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield), though. After giving up a single to start the seventh, he retired the final 15 Storm batters as he stymied Crown's bats.
Mason Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) led off the top of the eleventh with a single to center, which was the first hit since Morrell's in the eighth. With two outs and
Trevor Koritz (Eagle River, Wis./Byron) standing on second, who pinch-ran for Skrede,
Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) lifted a fly ball high and deep to left-center field that carried over the fence to give Northwestern a 3-1 lead and put them three outs away from a UMAC title. Boerema came in and did not wear down at all, as he ended it with a strike-out swinging on a fastball up in the zone.
Northwestern recorded eight hits in game one.
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and
Mason Skrede (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) both had two. The game was highlighted by Simonson's bomb, Vercoe's triple, and Peterson's clutch double in the eighth.
Game Two
Northwestern rolled out its other UMAC Pitcher of the Year candidate in game two in the form of Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) (7-3). Crabb, who is third in the conference for ERA, ended the game with a 1.09 ERA. The sophomore threw all seven innings, struck out seven, and surrendered three earned runs. Northwestern finishes its conference schedule with a sparkling team ERA of 2.15. St. Scholastica is in second place in the conference with a 4.20 ERA.
Northwestern did not take its foot off the gas in game two. They loaded the bases in the first thanks to an Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) single and two walks by Vercoe and Morrell, but they left them loaded. Crown jumped in front once again with two runs in the first and a third in the fourth. After the solo home run to lead off the fourth, Crabb settled in and dominated the Storm's lineup the rest of the way.
The Eagles broke through in a big way in the top of the fifth.
Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) led off with a single to right, and he came around to score on
Andrew Simonson's (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) RBI double. Crabb brought Simonson home with a single to right, and
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) then drove in Crabb to tie the game at three.
Northwestern blew the game open with a ten-run sixth inning.
Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) led off with a double, and he moved to third on
Eric Peterson's (Coon Valley, Wis./Westby) infield single. Szafraniec and Simonson followed with RBI singles to make it 5-3. Vercoe then hit presumably the longest single of his life on a ball that one-hopped the fence to load the bases.
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and Morrell drew bases-loaded walks, and
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) hit an infield single to make it 8-3. Wall recorded his second hit of the inning on a two-run single, and Szafraniec blew it open with a three-run laser over the right-field fence to make it 13-3.
Crabb finished it off with a called strike three before the celebration really ensued with the UMAC trophy presentation.
Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) was 4-4 with four RBI, three runs scored, a home run, and two doubles.
Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) and
Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) both recorded three hits, two RBI, and two runs scored. Every starter reached at least once thanks to the fifteen-run fifth and sixth inning outburst.
Up Next
While Northwestern's conference season has ended, the team has three non-conference games left to play before the conference tournament begins. The Eagles will first travel to Augsburg University on Saturday, May 8th for a single game against the Auggies. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
Follow Northwestern baseball online at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter @unwbaseball.
