ST. PAUL, Minn. – After Wednesday's doubleheader with Bethel was postponed, the University of Northwestern baseball team took to Reynolds Field for the first time with its post-Florida glow on Friday afternoon. The Eagles hosted North Central University to open its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference slate for the 2025 season. After an evenly-matched first four innings, Northwestern broke things open in the fifth and never looked back, picking up an 11-6 win.
North Central was able to score two runs off UNW ace
Nick Drinken (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) in the top of the first inning, but the Eagles were able to match in the bottom half. With one out,
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) was hit by a pitch, and
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) singled to left field. A
Benji Bruce (Andover, Minn./Maranatha Christian) single up the middle plated Severson, and Bligh scored shortly thereafter when
Caleb Vereide (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) grounded into a fielder's choice, tying the game at two-apiece.
Each team went scoreless in the second, but once again matched each other's scoring output in the third inning. After the Rams took a 3-2 lead, Severson led off the bottom of the inning with a walk. Bligh hit another single and advanced to second when NCU unsuccessfully tried to throw Severson out at third. Bruce brought Severson home on a groundout to shortstop to tie the game at three, but Northwestern was unable to pull ahead.
The fifth inning proved to be the decisive one for UNW. Severson, clearly itching to get an opportunity to record an official at-bat, tripled to lead off the frame. Bligh singled him home, then advanced to second on a Bruce single to center. A one-out groundout by
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) moved each runner into scoring position, then
Gabriel Kennedy (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) brought them around with a single to left field and swiped second base in the process as well. After
Tony Greco (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig) drew a walk,
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) singled up the middle to score Kennedy and extend the Eagles' lead to 7-3.
Drinken finished through the sixth inning, closing his day with three straight scoreless innings. North Central was able to find its groove once again once the graduate exited, putting up two more runs in the top of the seventh to pull within two. But, as they had all day long, Northwestern once again had an answer. Kennedy led off the bottom half with a single, then Greco drew another walk. Rabey moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt, then
Braden Storts (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) walked to load the bases and Severson was hit by his second pitch of the day, scoring Kennedy. After a strikeout, Bruce delivered once again, hitting a single that brought two more runs home to make it 10-5, Eagles.
Even after a two-run deficit became five, the Rams weren't ready to give in. After back-to-back strikeouts by
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary) to begin the top of the eighth, NCU was able to load the bases. A second-consecutive hit-by-pitch brought a run in, and it appeared more were on the way as Caleb Alfaro hit a line drive into the gap in right-center field. That is, until
Bryce Campbell (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong), who had just entered the game that inning as a defensive replacement, made a highlight reel catch to get out of the inning and preserve the 10-6 lead. The junior was greeted by every one of his teammates and coaches as he returned to the dugout.
When it came to scoring runs, the Eagles had one more left in them. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Kennedy and Greco each drew walks. Kennedy advanced to third base when Rabey hit a high blooper into shallow center that somehow dropped, resulting in a fielder's choice. Rabey then stole second and Storts walked, loading the bases for Severson. The graduate once again was awarded first base after drawing a walk, which plated Kennedy to push UNW's lead to 11-6 heading into the ninth, where Hautajarvi pitched an efficient top half to slam the door shut and close out the 11-6 win.
There was offense aplenty for the victors, led by Bruce's 4-5 day and four RBI. Kennedy went 3-4 with two RBI and three runs, while Bligh matched his three hits and drove in one. Severson had an odd day at the plate, registering only one official at-bat (a triple), while drawing three walks and being hit by two pitches on his way to two RBI and three runs. Rabey also drove in a run, going 1-3 at the dish. Drinken picked up his second win of the season after scattering seven hits, striking out seven and giving up three earned runs in six innings of work.
The Eagles and Rams will be back at it Saturday at Reynolds Field for a doubleheader, beginning at 1:00 PM.
