KANSAS CITY, Mo.- After a break in the action on Sunday, the NCCAA National Tournament started back up on Monday afternoon and the University of Northwestern Baseball team was back in action, playing two National Tournament games. The Eagles entered the day 2-0 in the tournament and were sitting in a good spot. #3 UNW lost the first game of the day to #5 Fort Lauderdale 13-4, and won the second game of the day against #1 SAGU 5-3 to extend their season.
Game One
UNW and Fort Lauderdale (both teams named the Eagles) both entered the game 2-0 in the tournament. The winner of this game would guarantee themselves a game tomorrow, the final day of the tournament.
Fort Lauderdale, who has had a high scoring offensive attack all tournament long, scored first by getting a run in the top half of the first inning. However, UNW would string some offense together in the second inning to take their first lead of the day. An
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) RBI groundout and an RBI single from
Payton Christenson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) gave the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
UNW would carry that 2-1 lead into the fifth inning as Fort Lauderdale struggled to get their offense rolling. However, that would change in the fifth inning as the Eagles (Fort Lauderdale) would find their offensive rhythm. Fort Lauderdale scored four runs in the fifth, three runs in the sixth, four more in the eighth, and another run in the ninth. The Eagles did not need any homeruns to produce this offense as they used their speed and timely hitting to put up their runs.
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) would hit an RBI single in the fifth inning for UNW, and
Owen Atherton (Mankato, Minn./Mankato East) came off the bench to deliver an RBI double in the ninth inning as the Eagles fell 13-4.
Game Two
After dropping the first game, UNW then set up to square off with the Lions from Southwestern Assemblies of God University in an elimination game. The game between the #3 Eagles and the #1 Lions ended up being a back and forth thriller that came down to the wire.
After both teams were held scoreless in the first inning, the Eagles drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning by hanging up a pair of runs.
Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) scored on a ground ball hit to second base by
Trey Boushee (Fosston, Minn./Fosston), and
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) singled home
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington). The lead 2-0 after two innings.
The 2-0 score would hold for a long time thanks to the brilliant pitching of
Sam Ludzack (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee). Ludzack, pitching in his biggest game of the season, turned in a gem. Through five innings, the senior held the Lions to one hit and no runs. However, the Eagles' offense was also stifled throughout the middle innings and they were not able to add any insurance. The Eagles led 2-0 entering the sixth inning.
In the sixth inning, the Lions finally made some noise against Ludzack. A pair of RBI singles from SAGU tied the game at two runs apiece. In the seventh inning, the Lions struck again. Another RBI single from SAGU gave them their first lead of the game, 3-2.
Trailing in what could have potentially been the final game of their season, the Eagles went to work mounting a comeback. The Eagles had exactly who they would have wanted leading off the seventh inning trailing by a run: the seniors
Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and
Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton). Peterson doubled to lead off the inning, and Szafraniec followed it up with a bunt single.
Trey Boushee (Fosston, Minn./Fosston) would then deliver a big-time, clutch single to score Peterson to tie the game.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) would then deliver he biggest hit of the game, as he knocked a single through the left side, scoring Szafraniec and putting the Eagles back on top, 4-3.
In the eighth inning,
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) would dump a double in down the right field line. This would score Szafraniec once again. This provided the Eagles with all of the insurance they needed, as they won the game 5-3.
Defense was a major key for the Eagles in the late stages of the ball game. In the seventh inning,
Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte) caught a fly ball in right field and delivered a perfect throw home to nab the runner trying to score in a tie game. In the eighth inning, with the Eagles clinging to a one run lead,
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) reached over the fence to catch a foul ball for the second out. The eighth inning would end when a wild pitch got by
Cramer Hamilton (Apple Valley, Calif./Excelsior), who scampered to the ball, flipped it to the pitcher
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights), who would tag out the runner trying to score from third to end the inning and preserve the one run lead.
Sam Ludzack (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) pitched seven innings and only gave up three runs on the way to his third win of the season.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) would pick up his fourth save of the season by pitching two scoreless innings to close out the game.
Up Next
The Eagles (now 3-1) have advanced to the final day of the NCCAA National Tournament. UNW will need to win two games tomorrow to win their first ever National Championship. The Eagles will play at 9:30 AM tomorrow against either Concordia (MI) or Fort Lauderdale, both teams that the Eagles have already played in this tournament. If the Eagles are able to win game one tomorrow, they will play for the National Championship at 12:30 P.M.
