ST. PAUL, Minn.- For the first time in 2023, the University of Northwestern Baseball team played a home game on Friday afternoon. After many cancellations and postponements, the Eagles were finally able to compete in front of Eagle fans at Reynolds Field when they took on Crown College in the first game of a three game set. On a slightly chilly, but otherwise gorgeous April afternoon, the Eagles fell 12-1 to the Polars.
Sam Szymanski (Woodbury, Minn./Homeschool) got the start on the mound for the Eagles and breezed through the first two innings without allowing a run. The Eagles were also held scoreless and the game was locked in a scoreless tie going into the third inning with both teams having stranded the bases loaded in the early innings.
With both teams struggling to knock runners in early on in the game, Crown was the first one to break through offensively. The Polars got a leadoff triple in the top of the third inning, followed by a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases. Back to back singles would give Crown a 3-0 lead.
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) would then make an outstanding diving play to record the first out of the inning, but another run would score. The Polars got one more RBI single before the rally was over and would pick up another run off of a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead.
The Eagles offense would get on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning.
CJ Toutant (Hortonville, Wis./Christian Liberty) hit a towering pop up in the infield that would drop for a leadoff hit and would then advance to second thanks to a balk.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) would move Toutant 90 feet closer with a single up the middle.
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) would walk to load the bases and the Eagles had a big time threat going in the fourth inning.
Daniel Peterson (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) would pick up an RBI by hitting a ground ball to second base that advanced the runners. With runners on second and third and only one out,
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) was intentionally walked to load the bases. The Eagles were not able to pick up the big swing they needed to get back into the game and would strand the bases loaded once again. The Polars maintained a 6-1 lead entering the fifth inning.
Crown would add insurance runs in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to build a comfortable lead. It was the long ball that allowed the Polars to stretch out their lead. A two run homerun in the fifth inning and two separate solo shots in the seventh inning were the key swings for the Polars as they went on to win the contest 12-1.
The Eagles' offense picked up six hits compared to the Polars' 13. Crown would also draw eight walks to UNW's three.
Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian),
Ben Spores (Arlington, Wash./Arlington),
Gilbert Garcia Jr. (Stockton, Cali./Saint Mary's),
CJ Toutant (Hortonville, Wis./Christian Liberty),
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights), and
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) would all pick up base knocks for the home team.
Sam Szymanski (Woodbury, Minn./Homeschool) picked up three strikeouts in his four innings of work, and
Alex Luepke (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) worked three innings of relief also picking up a strikeout.
Up Next
UNW's series against the Polars will conclude tomorrow with a doubleheader at Reynolds Field starting at 2:00 PM.
