FORT PIERCE, Fla.- The University of Northwestern Baseball team took on the Bullets from Gettysburg College on Tuesday afternoon. Both teams put up a crooked number in an inning but it was Gettysburg who found more offense in the other eight innings and defeated UNW 14-5.
The Eagles were playing as the home team in Tuesday's tilt so they gave the ball to their starting pitcher
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) to begin the game. Hixon retired the first two batters before giving up a two out single. The Bullet baserunner attempted to steal second base but it was a bullet from the arm of catcher
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) to second baseman
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) that gunned down the runner to end the frame. The Eagles were set down in order in their half of the first.
Gettysburg would get their aforementioned big inning in the second inning. The leadoff man popped out but the next man reached on an error by the Eagles' infield. After the error, the next six Bullets' batters would reach base before the second out was recorded via a fielder's choice. Gettysburg would pick up one more hit but the inning was quickly retired via fly out to
Grady Karges (Oriska, N.D./Maple Valley) in right field after that. The Bullets scored six runs in the frame and all of them came with one out in the inning.
Now facing a six run deficit, the Eagles would be held scoreless in the second despite
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) picking up a two-out, infield single.
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) would walk a batter in the third inning, but ultimately recovered nicely from the challenging second inning by pitching a scoreless third. Jackson Sondquist picked up a leadoff base hit for UNW in the home half of the third but a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play would squash the rally.
The top of the fourth would bring trouble for the Eagles. The first two batters reached base via a walk and a double.
Alex Luepke (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) relieved Hixon and gave up a pair of singles. However, the left handed reliever bounced back nicely displaying the "short memory" that good relievers have to possess. After the pair of base hits he induced a Taylor-made 6-4-3 double play and another groundout to end the inning. Gettysburg plated two in the frame now leading 8-0.
The Eagles' offense put together a two out threat in the bottom of the fourth as they attempted to climb back into the contest.
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) ripped a two out double to the left side and
Benji Bruce (Minneapolis, Minn./Maranatha Christian) immediately followed up with a single up the middle. Bligh was held up at third base and would be stranded there.
In the fifth inning, the first five Bullet batters reached base.
Dreyer Homan (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) would come in out of the bullpen and retire both men he faced (including a double play) to end the inning. Gettysburg's lead had grown to 12-0. In the bottom of the fifth,
Isaac Pilon (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and
Owen Atherton (Mankato, Minn./Mankato East) got on base to begin the frame. Three straight fly outs would end the threat and the inning. Gettysburg would load the bases and score two more runs in the sixth, taking a 14-0 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, it was the Eagles' turn to cash in on their big inning of the game. Karges and Bligh led off the inning by getting on base due to consecutive errors by the Bullets' infield. Bruce brought home Karges with an RBI single to get UNW on the board. Severson worked a walk to load the bases with still nobody out.
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary) singled to centerfield to bring in Bligh. With the bases loaded once again, Atherton hit a fly ball to left field which was caught for the first out of the inning. Bruce would scamper home and the Eagles' had their third run of the inning thanks to the sacrifice fly. Severson moved up to third on the sac fly and came in to score when
Christian Raya (Moline, Ill./Moline) grounded out to the third baseman.
Braden Storts (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) finished off the rally by bringing Hautajarvi in to score with an RBI single. The Eagles' scored five runs in the frame.
Benji Bruce (Minneapolis, Minn./Maranatha Christian) came in to pitch for the Eagles and pitched two scoreless frames while picking up three strikeouts. He only gave up one hit during his work in the seventh and eighth innings.
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary), having picked up an RBI single earlier in the game, pitched the top of the ninth for UNW. One runner reached on an error but after that he was perfect; picking up two strikeouts on his way to a 1-2-3 inning.
The Eagles would not find a way to push any more runs across the plate and would drop the contest 14-5.
Benji Bruce (Minneapolis, Minn./Maranatha Christian) had himself a day. In addition to pitching two scoreless innings, Bruce was 4-5 with a run and an RBI.
The Eagles will take their second and final day off in Florida on Wednesday before resuming play against Westfield State on Thursday. UNW Baseball is five games into their eight game Florida slate.
