Minneapolis, Minn. –– The University of Northwestern baseball team (28-8) traveled to beautiful Parade Stadium to take on Augsburg College (7-22) on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles won the game 5-1 thanks to a four-run top of the ninth.
Augsburg got on the board first in the bottom of the first as a leadoff walk came around to score. Other than that one hiccup, Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) was absolutely masterful on the mound as he threw eight innings and struck out nine.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) got the offense going in the top of the second with a leadoff double down the left-field line. Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) followed with a four-pitch walk before Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) singled to load the bases. The Auggies escaped the jam, and both starting pitchers traded zeroes throughout the middle innings.
In the top of the sixth, though, Northwestern got on the board. Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) led off with a single, and he promptly stole second. Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) drew a walk, and then Severson reached on an error to load the bases. Boerema hit into a double play on the next pitch, but the Eagles tied the game as Crabb crossed the plate.
Augsburg put runners on the corners with no outs in the bottom half of the frame, but Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) got three short fly balls to strand both runners. Northwestern had two runners in scoring position in the seventh, thanks to a Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) walk, Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) single, and Simonson's 25th stolen base of the season, but Augsburg kept the game tied.
The offense came out firing in the ninth, though. Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls) led off with a single to right. Ben Spores (Arlington, Wa./Arlington) sacrificed Trevor Koritz (Eagle River, Wis./Byron), who pinch ran for Lindow, to second base. Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) hit a deep fly ball to right, and Koritz advanced ninety more feet. Simonson followed with a double to left to give Northwestern its first lead of the day. He then stole third and scored on a throwing error from the catcher as he got to quack the duck for his 46th time this season. Simonson's 26 steals ties him for third for most steals in a single season. The Eagles also now have 107 stolen bases as a team, the second most number of steals in a season, trailing the 1992 team with 141.
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) drew a walk to keep the train rolling. He advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and then stole third. Northwestern continued to find ways to manufacture runs as a pitch hit Vercoe, and then he stole second. Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) followed with a ground ball in the hole between shortstop and third base, and he just beat the throw. That allowed Crabb to score, and Vercoe kept chugging around third to extend the lead to 5-1.
Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) came in for the bottom of the ninth, and he struck out two batters in the frame, including a strike three looking to end the ballgame. Simonson, Severson, and Lindow all had two hits in the game.
Up Next
The Eagles have a massive opportunity to make another statement on Wednesday, May 12th. Northwestern, the No. 5 team in the Midwest Regional, will take on the No. 2 ranked Gustavus Adolphus College. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 5:00 pm.
Follow Northwestern baseball online at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter @unwbaseball.
