SUPERIOR, Wis. – After a thrilling, extra-inning win over the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Friday, the University of Northwestern Baseball team had two more chances to win the series on Saturday. The Yellowjackets had other plans, taking both of the contests to win the series and keep its UMAC Tournament hopes alive. UWS came from behind in both contests, resulting in 11-6 and 3-2 wins.
Game One
Despite another good start, Northwestern was unable to overcome a couple of big innings at the plate for UW-Superior in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. Exactly like the did Friday, the Eagles scored twice in the top of the first inning to strike first. The first run came off a two-out double from
Gabriel Kennedy (DeForest, Wis./DeForest), scoring
Benji Bruce (Andover, Minn./Maranatha Christian). In the next at-bat,
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) singled to plate
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College), who had singled himself earlier in the inning.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) shut down the Yellowjackets' offense in the first two innings, and got a couple more runs to work with from his own offense in the top of the third. The first came on a wild pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Kennedy to score, and the second was again produced by Rabey, whose groundout brought
Christian Raya (Moline, Ill./Moline) across to make it 4-0. Unfortunately for Severson, UWS was able to figure him out in the bottom of the third, putting up five runs to suddenly take a 5-4 advantage.
UNW was able to get runners into scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings, but couldn't knock them in. Superior took advantage and scored three more runs against Northwestern's bullpen in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 8-4. A hit batter and singles by
Alex Klein (Olathe, Kans./Olathe Northwest) and Bruce once again filled the bases for the Eagles in the top of the sixth inning, and both wound up scoring on a fielder's choice/error play when the Jackets attempted to turn two.
The 8-6 deficit would not hold through the remainder of the sixth, as UW-Superior added another run to take a three-run edge. The hosts tacked on another pair of runs in the eighth to make it an 11-6 game, but UNW did stage a slight threat in the ninth with its back against the wall. A Kennedy single, followed by a Rabey double, gave the visitors some life, but the final two outs necessary to end the game were recorded in succession, resulting in an 11-6 loss that kept Superior's postseason hopes alive for at least nine more innings.
Seniors Rabey and Kennedy led the way with three hits each, adding two and one RBI, respectively. Rabey also hit two doubles, while Kennedy clubbed one. Klein, who went 2-5, was the only other Eagle to record multiple hits, while Bligh provided the only other RBI. Severson was tagged with the loss after giving up six runs in 4.1 innings of work.
Game Two
For the first time all weekend, Northwestern failed to score a first-inning run.
Benji Bruce (Andover, Minn./Maranatha Christian) and
Christian Raya (Moline, Ill./Moline) both singled in the opening frame, but were stranded on base. UNW's offense did break through in the top of the second when
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake), who doubled to lead off the inning, scored when
Caleb Vereide (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) grounded into a fielder's choice. UW-Superior was able to answer with a run in the bottom of the third to tie the game at one.
The Eagles didn't waste time answering, as
Alex Klein (Olathe, Kans./Olathe Northwest) continued his hot weekend at the plate with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning to plate
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville), who reached base on a double to left-center field. The 2-1 lead would hold until the bottom of the fifth, when an RBI double from the Jackets made it all-square at 2-2.
Northwestern got runners to third in the seventh and eighth innings, but was unable to bring either around. UWS pounced on the opportunity, getting the go-ahead run across in the bottom of the eighth. The Eagles went down 1-2-3 in the ninth to make the 3-2 score final. Northwestern remains one game ahead of Superior heading into the final week of UMAC play, but will face a tough test in second-place Crown. With Bethany Lutheran already having clinched a berth in the upcoming UMAC Tournament, there are four teams battling for the three remaining spots (UNW, UW-Superior, Minnesota Morris and Crown).
Bruce and Klein both logged two hits in the finale, with the latter adding an RBI. Vereide drove in the other run, while Rabey and Hixon both doubled to account for UNW's two extra-base hits.
Nick Drinken (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) was outstanding on the mound, pitching all eight innings and striking out six, while only allowing two earned runs.
Up Next
Northwestern will have a short turnaround before hosting Hamline on Monday at 5:30 PM to kick off the final week of the regular season.
