ST. PAUL, Minn. - To say Monday's University of Northwestern Baseball game against North Central University was fun would be an understatement. A late, non-conference addition to the schedule, UNW used its final home game of the season to give some different players chances to hit and defend, and used nine arms in nine innings. It resulted in a 6-5 win and memories that will last a lifetime.
North Central scored two runs in the first inning to take the lead, but it didn't last long. Northwestern ace
Dreyer Homan (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY), who got the start at second base in an effort to get redemption after his one and only career at-bat resulted in a strikeout last weekend against Martin Luther, launched a two-run home run into a 30 mile-per-hour wind and well over the left field wall to tie the game in the bottom of the first. The reactions from his teammates and the crowd told the whole story. The Eagles would add another run in the inning when
Andrew Johnson (Dalton, Minn./Fergus Falls) scored on a throwing error, and the senior provided some pop himself, blasting a two-run homer in the second inning (the first of his career) into the left field wind and over the wall to make it 5-2, Eagles.
NCU scored three runs in the top of the fifth to even the score at five, but Northwestern was able to edge back in front in the seventh. A pair of walks and an
Eli Reeves (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake Area) single loaded the bases, and two batters later,
Bryce Campbell (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) hit a nubber with some wicked spin right in front of the plate. The spin caused the ball to get away from the charging catcher, and Campbell was able to reach base safely, with
Logan Karnowski (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) scoring the go-ahead, and eventual winning run. The Rams were able to get the tying run into scoring position in the top of the ninth, but
Luke O'Rourke (Columbia Heights, Minn./Irondale) was able to strike out the final batter looking--his third strikeout of the inning--to earn the save and seal the 6-5 win to close out the regular season.
Silas Heisler (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) and Johnson were the only Eagles to record multiple hits, with the latter adding a pair of RBI via his home run. Homan also drove in two with a homer, while Campbell added one RBI.
Jayden King (Wahpeton, N.D./Wahepton Senior) was credited with the win on the mound after pitching a clean seventh inning with two strikeouts. O'Rourke picked up his second save of the year with three strikeouts in the ninth. As a staff, UNW's nine pitchers struck out 10 batters.
Northwestern will now turn its focus toward the UMAC Baseball Tournament, where it will open the event as the No. 3 seed against No. 2 UW-Superior at 1:00 PM on Thursday in Mankato. All games from the tournament will be available to watch on the UMAC Sports Network.
