MORRIS, Minn. - The University of Northwestern drove over to the University of Minnesota Morris for the doubleheader portion of the UMAC series of the week. UNW swept the Cougars, winning the first game 9-4 and the second game 16-4 in five innings.
GAME ONE:
In the top of the first inning,
Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West), a spark plug for the Eagles, led off with a double, then scored the opening run, stealing third and home on a wild pitch. The Cougars held the Eagles scoreless through the next two innings and matched UNW with a run in the third.
In the visitor half of the fourth, the team found some rhythm, scoring two runs. The first run was a home run from
Bryn Anderson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson). With her homer, she notched the 23rd team home run of the season, breaking the team single-season home run record with 15 games remaining in the season.
Jenna Nusbaum (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) scored the second run after hitting a double, moving to third on a fly ball from
Trista Oberle (Hudson, Wis./Homeschool), and eventually running home on a single by
Kate Van Ess (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco).
Northwestern then plated four more runs in the fifth. A pair of errors and a walk scored Edwards, and left Anderson and Nusbaum on first and second.
Kate Trump (Faribault, Minn/Bethlehem Academy) then rocketed a home run to score the final three runs of the inning.
With the 7-2 lead heading into the seventh, the Eagles found two more runs. Back-to-back singles from Anderson and Nusbaum loaded the corners. Continuing her solid performance, Trump hit a double to score Anderson. Nusbaum then scored the last run with the help of an error. Morris also scored twice in the final inning for a score of 9-4.
Trump finished 2-3 at the plate with four runs batted in, a double, and a home run. Anderson, the other home run scorer, was a perfect 2-2 at the plate with one RBI. Van Ess earned the final RBI of the game. Nusbaum finished 2-3 with a double.
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) went the distance for the Eagles through seven innings.
GAME TWO:
After scoring nine runs in game one, the Eagles broke things wide open in game two, securing a five-inning run-rule victory, 16-4. UNW scored in every inning except the final frame, setting the tone early and never looking back.
Schoper got things started with a single, eventually coming around to score on two groundouts and an RBI single from Anderson. The Eagles' power surge continued in the second inning, as they added another home run to their growing season total, marking the eighth time in nine games they've hit at least one long ball.
Trump opened the inning with a walk, followed by singles from Van Ess and
Hannah Lexvold (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake Area), with Lexvold driving in Trump. Storey added another RBI single to score Van Ess before both Lexvold and Storey came home on a home run from Edwards.
If the second inning was big, the third was even bigger. The Eagles plated seven runs to blow the game wide open. Trump reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to third on an Oberle single. Van Ess worked a walk, and Lexvold singled to load the bases. Schoper reached and drove in Trump, and Storey drew a walk to score Van Ess. A red-hot Edwards then doubled to clear the bases, followed by another home run from Anderson to push the lead to 13-0.
The Eagles kept adding on in the fourth. Oberle, Van Ess, and Lexvold all singled, with Oberle scoring. Schoper lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in Van Ess, and Storey ripped a double to score Lexvold.
Morris pushed across four runs in the final two innings, but the early deficit proved too much, as UNW secured the 16-4 win.
The bottom of the order was especially productive, combining to go 7-8 at the plate. Lexvold finished a perfect 3-3 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Van Ess went 2-2 and crossed the plate three times. Oberle and Anderson each went 2-3, with Anderson also driving in three runs. Edwards led the charge with a 2-4 performance and six RBI, while Storey went 2-2 with a double and three RBI. Schoper added two RBI in a 1-3 outing.
In the circle,
Addisyn Hansen (Tea, S.D./Tea Area) pitched all five innings, striking out two while allowing four earned runs on seven hits.
The Eagles will be back in action tomorrow at 12:00 PM for the final game of the series against Morris.
