ST. PAUL, Minn.- The University of Northwestern baseball team won the first game of their three game series against Minnesota-Morris on Saturday and closed out the series with two more games against the Cougars on Sunday. The Eagles dropped both games to the Cougars, losing the first game 4-3 in 11 innings and the second game 13-2.
Game One
It didn't seem possible to have a game as closely contested as Friday's 13 inning thriller between the two teams was but the first game of Saturday's doubleheader was just as close and just as dramatic. The Eagles, once again playing as the road team at Reynolds Field, used a great start on the mound from
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) to get out to an early lead.
Logan Karnowski (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) scored in the first inning for the Eagles off of an RBI single from
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and then
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) stole home as
Daniel Peterson (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) stole second to steal a run in the second inning. UNW had a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles were able to hang on to the lead throughout the majority of the game thanks to Severson's excellent start on the mound. The right hander held Morris scoreless through the first four innings of play. In the fifth inning, the Cougars were able to manufacture their first run against Severson despite not getting a hit in the frame. Morris would get another run in the seventh inning due to an error on a play where a baserunner was stealing second base and the game was tied 2-2.
As was the case in the series opener on Saturday, runs became hard to come by in the later innings and into extra innings. The score would remain at 2-2 all the way until the top half of the 11
th when UNW would finally break the tie.
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) would each draw walks to start the inning before Pilon was picked off at third base while Spores advanced to second.
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) would deliver the big hit for the Eagles driving in Spores to take the lead.
Leading 3-2, UNW only needed three more outs in the bottom half of the 11
th to win another extra innings classic. The first two Cougar batters were retired right away, but Morris would string together a remarkable two out rally to win the game. UMM came away with a two out walk, single, and then a double to right center that scored both runners. Morris stole the game 4-3.
Aaron Severson's (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) line ended up as nine innings, two runs allowed, only four hits allowed, and three strikeouts.
Dreyer Homan (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the tenth.
The Eagles' offense finished with nine hits.
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) and
Cramer Hamilton (Apple Valley, Calif./Excelsior) led the way with two apiece.
Game Two
The finale of Sunday's doubleheader started with the Eagles once again taking the early lead.
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) continued to come up with run producing hits as he drove in
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington) with a single in the top half of the first.
The Eagles' other run in the contest would come in the fourth inning when
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Illinois/Yorkville) scored thanks to a
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) single to left centerfield.
Outside of those runs for the Eagles, game two of the doubleheader belonged to the Cougars. UMM's offense was dialed and swung the bats extremely well in the contest and it started right away in the bottom of the first inning. Trailing 1-0, the Cougars immediately responded with a leadoff double and then a homerun to jump out in front 2-1. They would not trail again in the contest.
The Cougars would then go on to score one run in the second, three in the third, one in the fourth, and six in the fifth to win the contest 13-2.
Noah Skarda (Nipomo, Calif./St. Joseph's) gave the Eagles good relief out of the bullpen pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless ball.
UNW had nine hits in the game with
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) and
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Illinois/Yorkville) each collecting two.
Up Next
The Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday, April 25
th against North Central at Reynolds Field.
