ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two very different games produced wins for the University of Northwestern Baseball team over North Central University on Saturday. The Eagles scored the final five runs of game one to storm back and steal a 13-12, 10-inning win, then polished off the series and season sweep of the Rams with a 13-3, 8-inning win in the finale. The undefeated weekend gives Northwestern a perfect 3-0 start to its UMAC season, even if it didn't always look perfect.
Game One
NCU jumped all over the Eagles, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) hit a one-out double in the bottom half, but UNW was unable to bring him around. After North Central tacked on two more runs in the top of the third to extend its lead to 4-0, Northwestern finally was able to get on the board. After a pair of walks started the bottom the third,
Braden Storts (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) roped a double to left-center field, bringing both runners home. The sophomore came around to score on a
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) single, pulling the Eagles within one at 4-3 entering the fourth.
After a couple walks and a wild pitch, UNW was able to tie the game at four when
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) plated
Gilbert Garcia Jr. (Stockton, Calif./Saint Mary's) on a groundout. The Rams answered right back; however, with two runs in the top of the fifth to move back ahead, 6-4. The back-and-forth scoring halted until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Severson hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Rabey and bringing Northwestern within a run.
The seventh inning-on can only be described using one word: chaos. NCU scored three runs in the top of the seventh to go up 8-5, but the Eagles didn't waste any time in closing that gap. Garcia Jr. smacked a double to right-center to score
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) from first, then came around to score himself when Rabey singled through the right side. With runners at the corners, Rabey took off to steal second base. When North Central's catcher threw down to second,
Alex Klein (Olathe, Kans./Olathe Northwest), who had reached base on a single, wisely darted home, tying the game at eight-apiece.
The stalemate proved to not have much shelf life, as the Rams scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning, including a three-run home run, all with two outs. Reynolds Field was left stunned as the mountain Northwestern needed to climb was suddenly much taller than expected. After coming up empty in the eighth, it all came down to the bottom of the ninth, with UNW still trailing, 12-8. Klein led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second when Rabey hit a single of his own. A wild pitch advanced both runners, then Storts blooped a double into right field, scoring Klein. Bligh stepped up with one out and clubbed a two-run double to left, bringing the Eagles within a run at 12-11. Bruce delivered a clutch, game-tying single to right field and took second base when NCU unsuccessfully tried to throw Bligh out at the plate. He may have trusted his base-running a bit too much, though, as he was thrown out trying to sneak over to third as North Central's catcher argued the play at the plate. The game went to extras, tied at 12.
The Rams went down 1-2-3 in the top half of the 10
th, and that was all Northwestern needed. Hixon led off the bottom half with a double, then was sacrificed over to third by
AJ Kazel (Esko, Minn./Esko), who had come on in the ninth as a defensive replacement. The freshman, Klein, delivered the walk-off, hitting a sacrifice fly to left field. Hixon spiked his helmet in celebration as the Eagles celebrated an emotional win.
There was plenty of offense to go around in game one. Storts and Bligh matched each other with three hits and three RBI apiece. Hixon and Rabey also notched three hits, with the latter driving in a pair of runs as well. Klein had two hits, one RBI and scored three runs, including the game-winner. Severson, Bruce and Garcia Jr. drove in Northwestern's three other runs, with Bruce producing a multi-hit game.
Dreyer Homan (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) earned the win on the mound, his first of the season, and struck out four in his 3.1 innings.
Game Two
The series finale wound up being not as competitive as the first two games of the weekend, although it certainly didn't begin that way. North Central got on the board first with a run in the top of the second inning, then added another one with a lead-off home run in the third. That 2-0 lead would be the last lead NCU would hold; however, as it was all Northwestern from that point on.
Benji Bruce (Andover, Minn./Maranatha Christian) delivered another timely hit with a bases loaded, two-run double in the bottom of the third to tie the game at two. One batter later,
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) brought in
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) from third via a sacrifice fly to give UNW a 3-2 edge.
The Eagles' next scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the fifth. With one out and the bases full,
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) drove in two runs with a single to center field.
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary) brought in another run with a single, making it 6-2, then Rabey scored moments later on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Braden Storts (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka). Hautajarvi crossed home plate on wild pitch to give Northwestern an 8-2 advantage after five innings.
Another offensive explosion for UNW came in the bottom of the sixth, beginning with a solo shot by Bruce over the left-field wall.
Tony Greco (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig) laced a two-out double to right center, then scored when Rabey launched a two-run home run—the first of his career--to a similar spot as Bruce's homer.
Caleb Vereide (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) made it a 12-2 score with an RBI double later in the inning.
North Central fought off the run rule with a run in the top of the seventh, but the Eagles were still able to end the game early with a literal "walk"-off, as Storts drew a bases loaded walk to plate Rabey and seal the 13-3 win. After all the chaos, the Eagles and Rams still played 18 innings on Saturday, even though neither game ended in the ninth.
Rabey continued his hot weekend with a career game, going 2-4 with three runs and four RBI, including his first-career home run. Bruce went 2-3 with three RBI, while Storts drove in two runs. Greco, Hautajarvi and Hixon each logged two hits, with the latter two also adding an RBI apiece. The other run came courtesy of Vereide's double. Severson was outstanding on the mound, striking out 10 and giving up just three hits and two runs in 6.0 innings of work.
Up Next
Northwestern will be at home once again on Wednesday for a doubleheader with Saint John's. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2:30 PM.
