ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Baseball team kicked off its run of five games in three days on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Saint John's University. Despite a tight game through four of the seven innings, the Johnnies were able to pull away for a 10-1 win, which was the 900
th of SJU Head Coach Jerry Haugen's 48-year career. In game two, Northwestern was able to hang tough thanks to some stellar pitching, but came up short by a 3-1 score.
Game One
Saint John's wasted no time getting on the board, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) hit a two-out double in the bottom half and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but was stranded 90 feet from home. The Johnnies immediately took advantage by scoring two more runs in the top of the second to increase their lead to 3-0.
The Eagles were able to shrink the deficit in the bottom of the third inning when Bligh roped an RBI single into left field to score
Braden Storts (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka), who singled and stole second. The 3-1 score would remain until SJU tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth. Storts reached second base in the bottom of the inning with another stolen base, but a groundout left him there. Two more Saint John's runs in the sixth and three in the seventh put the game effectively out of reach at a 10-1 score, which would be the final.
Bligh was the only Eagle to record multiple hits, going 2-3 with the team's only RBI. Storts was the other Eagle to log a hit and scored their only run.
Andrew Simon (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Mounds View) was credited with the loss on the mound despite four strikeouts, while
Jackson Moore (San Bruno, Calif./Capuchino) and
Alex Luepke (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) combined to strike out three and give up just one hit in 1.1 innings of relief.
Game Two
The nightcap produced similar offense for the purple and gold, but much better pitching performances. The game was scoreless through two innings before the Johnnies put up a pair of runs in the top of the third. UNW posed a threat in the bottom of the inning when
Caleb Vereide (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) singled and
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) was hit by a pitch, but a double play ended the inning. Another double play in the bottom of the fifth stranded Eagles at the corners with the score still 2-0.
As
Caden Loy (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) continued to deal in relief for Northwestern, the offense finally chipped in, in the bottom of the sixth inning. Hixon and
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) each singled, then Hixon advanced to third on a fly out to center field. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base, with Hixon crossing home plate to pull within a run at 2-1. Unfortunately for UNW, a strikeout ended the sixth inning with Bligh at second, SJU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, and the Eagles went down 1-2-3 to end the game with a 3-1 loss.
Bligh, Vereide and Hixon accounted for Northwestern's three hits in the game, with Hixon scoring the lone run.
Charlie Jones (West St. Paul, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) took the loss on the bump despite a solid outing in his first career start. The freshman gave up just three hits and one earned run in 3.0 innings of work before giving way to fellow rookie
Caden Loy (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake), who also gave up just three hits and one earned run in his 4.0 innings in relief, adding two strikeouts.
Up Next
The Eagles won't be awarded much rest, as they will be right back at it Thursday at Reynolds Field for a conference doubleheader with Minnesota Morris. The series was originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Morris, but was moved to Northwestern's campus due to field conditions in Morris and moved dates because of weather concerns for Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Thursday, with the Cougars serving as the home team for the entirety of the series.
