FLORIDA COAST, Fla.- The University of Northwestern Baseball team wrapped up their 2023 Florida trip on Friday by splitting a double header with Gettysburg College. The Eagles dropped the opener to the Bullets 10-1 but answered back with a 14-5 win in their Florida finale.
Game One
The first game of the double header went back and forth in the early innings before Gettysburg blew the game open in the fourth inning. The Bullets got an RBI single in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Eagles tied the game in the next half inning.
Daniel Peterson (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) hit a double down the third base line and
CJ Toutant (Hortonville, Wis./Christian Liberty) scored to tie the game. An RBI double by the Bullets in the bottom of the second inning would give them the lead right back.
Trailing 2-1 in the fourth inning, things went south for UNW. Gettysburg would use an RBI single, double, and triple to score four runs and take a 6-1 lead. The Bullets would put up four more runs in the sixth inning thanks in large part to a two run double. The Eagles dropped the opener 10-1.
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) and
Daniel Peterson (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) each got on base three times including two hits and a walk apiece.
CJ Toutant (Hortonville, Wis./Christian Liberty) also had two hits for the Eagles.
Game Two
Game two followed a much different script than the opener, as this time it was the Eagles who controlled the game from start to finish.
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) was simply spectacular on the mound for the Eagles. The senior gave the Eagles the start they needed against a dangerous offense, blanking the Bullets through the first four innings of the game.
While Crabb shut out the Bullets through the early stages of the game, UNW's offense took advantage and started to build a lead.
Payton Christenson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) reached on an error in the first inning and another Bullets' error off of a ball hit by
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) scored Christenson and gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
After being held scoreless in the second inning, the first five Eagles to bat in the third inning would reach as the home team extended their lead.
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) hit a leadoff double and then moved to third base on a single by UNW's starting pitcher,
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian).
Payton Christenson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) would double home Pilon and
Benji Bruce (Minneapolis, Minn./Maranatha Christian) would single home Crabb.
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) would draw a walk before a pop out and a double play quickly ended the inning. UNW held a 3-0 lead after three innings.
In the fourth inning, Crabb continued to help his own cause and provide himself with run support. The senior came up to bat with the bases loaded (
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) on first,
Cramer Hamilton (Apple Valley, Calif./Excelsior) on second, and
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Illinois/Yorkville) on third) and would hit a single that scored Hixon.
Payton Christenson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) would then pick up an RBI by hitting a ground ball to second base that scored
Cramer Hamilton (Apple Valley, Calif./Excelsior) and UNW's lead grew to 5-0 after four.
In the fifth inning, the Bullets finally found a way to get to Crabb. Crabb surrendered two soft singles, then a passed ball and sacrifice fly got Gettysburg on the board. The Bullets may have cut into the lead even more if it hadn't been for a fantastic throw by centerfielder
Benji Bruce (Minneapolis, Minn./Maranatha Christian) that cut down a runner trying to score to end the inning. The Eagles led 5-1.
In the bottom of the fifth inning the Eagles' offense put up multiple runs for a third straight frame. It started with
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) drawing a walk and
Daniel Peterson (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) hitting a single to centerfield to lead off the inning.
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Illinois/Yorkville) would then hit a double to score both runners. Hixon would then score on an
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) single and when the dust settled at the end of the fifth inning, the Eagles had an 8-1 advantage.
The Eagles offense would not stop there. They would score one run in the sixth, two runs in the seventh, and three more runs in the eighth. Remarkably, the Eagles produced runs in each of the final five innings of the game.
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) hit a sacrifice fly to score a run in the sixth inning.
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and
Payton Christenson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) each picked up RBI doubles in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) scored off a wild pitch,
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Illinois/Yorkville) scored on a fielder's choice hit by Christenson, and
Daniel Peterson (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) hit a double that scored
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian).
The Bullets would score four runs of their own in the eighth inning, but it was not enough to make a dent into that Eagle lead. UNW won the finale 14-5, splitting the doubleheader with the Bullets.
Up Next
After going 5-3 on their Florida trip, the Eagles will now begin their trip back home to Minnesota. UNW is scheduled to host a double header against St. John's University on Tuesday, March 14
th in their home opener at Reynolds Field.
