Lincoln, Neb. –– The University of Northwestern baseball team (4-3) traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, where they took on Nebraska Wesleyan University (7-7). The Eagles and Prairie Wolves split the doubleheader as NWU won game one 1-0 before UNW wrapped up game two with a 12-9 win.

Game One

In game one, Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) threw an absolute gem as he reverted to his 2021 form. He pitched eight shutout innings while striking out 13. Both pitchers shut down the opposing offenses, and Northwestern's first good scoring chance came in the top of the fifth. Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) smacked a one-out single back up the middle before Payton Christenson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) singled to left-center, putting runners on the corners.

In the seventh, Cramer Hamilton (Apple Valley, Calif./Excelsior) led off with a walk and then stole second. Owen Atherton (Mankato, Minn./Mankato East) singled, but Hamilton was picked off second after the base hit. Christenson singled, and Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) reached on an error to load the bases with two outs. The Prairie Wolves weaseled out of the jam to keep the score knotted at zero. 

Northwestern had another runner on second in the top of the ninth, but Nebraska Wesleyan managed to escape and walked it off in the bottom half of the frame.

Christenson, Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin), and Szafraniec all had two hits. Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) came in in the ninth and gave up the lone earned run in the contest.

Game Two

Northwestern took the early lead as Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) led off with a single. He advanced to second on a passed ball and came around to score on Aaron Severson's (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) two-out single. The Prairie Wolves tied it in the bottom half of the frame before the Eagles took the 2-1 lead in the third. Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) drew a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an error. Nebraska Wesleyan immediately tied it again in the bottom half of the frame.

In his first collegiate start, CJ Toutant (Hortonville, Wis./Christian Liberty) singled to right-center and advanced on a wild pitch. Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) drew a walk before Crabb hit a single through the right side to bring home Toutant. Vercoe grounded out to put two runners in scoring position before Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) hit a two-run double to center to make it 5-2.

The Prairie Wolves got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but Northwestern got five more in the fifth. Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) pinch hit and drew a two-out walk before Szafraniec drove him in with a double to center field. Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) singled, and Crabb scored on an error by the pitcher on Crabb's single. Vercoe brought Crabb home with a single, and Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) drew a walk to make it first and second. Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) then hit a two-run single to make it 10-3. The Prairie Wolves made it 10-4 in the bottom of the fifth before the scoring stopped until the eighth.

Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second, third, and home on wild pitches to make it 11-4. Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) struck out the first two Prairie Dogs before the third batter reached on an error. A walk, single, and hit by pitch preceded a grand slam to make it 12-9. Nick Drinken (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) came in for the final out, and after walking the first batter, he cut the last out on a fly out to RF.

Crabb had three hits, while Peterson, Severson, Toutant, and Szafraniec had two hits. Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) pitched the first eight innings and struck out seven while allowing four earned runs. Vercoe gave up five runs (none earned) in his two-thirds of an inning, while Nick Drinken (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) got his first save of the season as he recorded the final out.

Up Next

The Eagles travel to Collegeville to take on Saint John's on Tuesday, March 22nd. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:00 pm.