ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - Playing for the third-consecutive day and the fourth time this week against a MIAC opponent, the University of Northwestern Baseball team made the short trip up to Bethel University's Hargis Park on Friday afternoon. Originally scheduled to play a doubleheader with the Royals, heavy rain forced the two rivals to play just one contest, with negotiations ongoing for when the second will take place. UNW's bats appeared to still be on fire from Thursday's 18-5 win at Augsburg as it got on the scoreboard in the first inning, but Bethel was able to mount a comeback and sneak away with a 3-2 win.
The Eagles got two runners in scoring position in the top of the first inning thanks to a single from
Kason Pietruszewski (Warroad, Minn./Warroad) and a double from
Jack Burns (Plainfield, Ill./Aurora Christian), and the pair scored when
Ben Hixon (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) hit a sacrifice fly, and the ensuing throw to third base went out of play. The 2-0 lead would hold until the bottom of the fifth inning as
Dreyer Homan (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) put together another solid outing on the mound. BU was finally able to break through against the senior with two runs in the fifth to tie the game, and took a 3-2 lead in the sixth after Northwestern failed to convert with the bases loaded in the top of the frame. UNW got a runner to third in the eighth inning, but could not get him home, and the 3-2 score held for the remainder of the game.
Hixon was the lone Eagle to record multiple hits, going 2-4 with UNW's only RBI. Burns's double was the only extra-base hit of the day for Northwestern. Homan was tagged with the loss on the mound after giving up three runs and eight hits in seven innings, while striking out six.
Caleb Hautajarvi (Barnum, Minn./Barnum Secondary) struck out two as he threw a perfect eighth inning in relief.
For the first time in a while, the Eagles will have some time off before hosting Augsburg in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 22nd, beginning at 4:00 PM
