ST. PAUL, Minn. – At long last, the University of Northwestern and Bethel University Baseball teams were able to play each other. Originally scheduled as a doubleheader for March 19
th, the games have been split up, brought back together, moved around and split up again more times than some can count. Those who enjoy the Snelling Showdown were treated to an entertaining game Tuesday night at Reynolds Field. After UNW mounted a comeback to tie the game in the fifth inning, Bethel's offense exploded in the seventh to allow the Royals to pull away and earn an 11-6 win.
BU got the bats going early with two runs in the first inning off of
Noah Skarda (Nipomo, Calif./St. Joseph's), but Northwestern's starter settled in and struck out two in the second. In the bottom of the second, the Eagles got on the board thanks to a pair of doubles by
Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) and
Logan Karnowski (Blaine, Minn./Blaine).
Bethel added one run in the third inning and another in the fifth to extend its lead to 4-1, but
Christian Raya (Moline, Ill./Moline) continued to swing a hot bat and launched a three-run home run over the left-field fence to tie the game. Northwestern appeared primed to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Rabey and
Caleb Vereide (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) moved into scoring position with two outs, but a groundout ended the threat.
With the Eagles' opportunity squandered, the Royals took advantage by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning to seize control of the game. BU then added another in the top of the ninth to go ahead 11-4. UNW tried to rally with two outs in the bottom half when
Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) tripled home
Benji Bruce (Andover, Minn./Maranatha Christian) and then scored himself on a Raya single, but the Eagles stranded Raya and
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) at the corners to lose, 11-6.
Raya led the offensive firepower with four RBI and a 3-5 day at the plate. Rabey was the only other Eagle to record multiple hits, going 2-3, while Karnowski and Bligh each logged an extra-base hit and an RBI apiece. Vereide's double was Northwestern's only other extra-base hit.
Andrew Simon (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Mounds View) was credited with the loss on the mound, while
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary) threw a scoreless eighth inning and struck out two in relief.
The Eagles will host Northland for a three-game series this weekend, beginning with a single game on Friday, April 11
th at 3:00 PM.
