ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Baseball team continued its scorching hot start to its UMAC schedule on Saturday, taking down Martin Luther College by a 5-1 score to complete the weekend sweep of the Knights. Martin Luther was once again the home team since the series was originally scheduled to be played in New Ulm.
The first two innings came and went without much fanfare as the teams combined for only one hit. In the top of the third,
Caleb Vereide (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a groundout.
Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) hit a single to put runners at the corners, and
Christian Raya (Moline, Ill./Moline) was able to single Vereide home for the first run of the game.
Northwestern added to its lead in the top of the fourth when Vereide singled to left field to score
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary). Vereide,
Logan Karnowski (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) and Severson loaded up the bases with two outs, but were stranded as the inning ended. MLC countered with a run of its own in the bottom half to pull within one, but the Eagles punched right back in the top of the fifth.
Tony Greco (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig) plated Raya with a single to left field, then came around to score himself to make it 4-1, courtesy of a
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) double to the left field wall.
The bats went relatively for each side until the top of the eighth inning, when Karnowski hit a one-out double to right-center field and stole third. A hit batter and two walks allowed Karnowski to score, but UNW left the bases full as its half of the inning came to a close. The Knights got two runners into scoring position in the bottom half, but Hautajarvi, who went from second base to the mound after seven strong innings from Severson, shut them down to retire the side. The Eagles again loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, but again left them full. A 1-2-3 ninth inning from Hautajarvi made the 5-1 score final.
Raya went 2-2 at the plate, reached base in all four plate appearances, and drove in two runs to pace Northwestern's offense. Hautajarvi and Vereide also tallied two hits apiece, with the latter adding an RBI as well. Greco and Rabey produced the other two UNW RBI in the game. Severson was efficient in earning his third pitching win of the season. The graduate went 7.0 innings and struck out seven, while only allowing four hits and one run. Hautajarvi did not give up a hit in his two innings of relief.
The Eagles (10-11, 8-1 UMAC) will host Bethel on Tuesday, April 8
th at 5:00 PM. The game was originally part of a March 19
th doubleheader that was postponed.
