Northwestern's baseball team traveled up to Minneapolis, MN for a four game road trip at the Metrodome on Thursday and Friday. The Red Raiders split with Concordia-St. Paul on Thursday night and swept Concordia-Nebraska on Friday afternoon. Game scores were 6-7, 5-4, 9-3, 8-6.
Northwestern 6 Concordia-St. Paul 7
In game one versus Concordia-St. Paul, Northwestern took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning behind RBI singles by Steve Englund and Curt Bomgaars. Clint Gingerich drove in a run with a RBI ground out as well. The Raiders added another run in the third inning behind the legs of Matt Negaard. Negaard led off the inning with a single, stole second and third, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Bomgaars.
Down four, Concordia-St. Paul put a three spot up in the third inning off of starter Mike Zoellner. Zoellner walked the first two hitters then gave up a triple and a RBI ground out. CSP pushed another run across in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead heading to the sixth inning. Northwestern managed to get the two runs they needed to even the score at 6-6 in the top half of the sixth. Bomgaars led off with a double, then Matt Gray had a RBI triple, and Clint Gingerich drove home Gray with a sacrifice fly to even the score.
Eddie Pantzlaff threw a perfect sixth inning to send the game tied into the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, Brad Payne hit a one out triple to put the go ahead run at third base for Northwestern. Matt Negaard followed with a walk to give Northwestern 1st and 3rd. Negaard stole second base and the next two Raiders were put down on strikeouts. In the bottom half of the inning, CSP managed to score on a base-hit, an error, and a fielder's choice. Bret Larson took the loss in relief, pitching the seventh inning.
Negaard and Bomgaars were the offensive starts, both going 2/3. Negaard scored a team high two runs and stole three bases. Bomgaars drove in two runs and scored once. Gingerich had two RBI. Payne, Englund, and Gray each had a base hit for Northwestern, who fell to 0-1 on the season.
Northwestern 5 Concordia-St. Paul 4
In the second game, Concordia-St. Paul was the visitor and took advantage of their first at bat, scoring two runs off of starter Drew Nonnemacher. Northwestern wasted no time getting on the scoreboard either, scoring a run in their first at bat of the second game as well. Negaard reached via error and was driven home by a Steve Englund double to cut the score in half at 2-1 after an inning.
Neither team could manage another run until the fourth inning. Concordia again posted a two versus Nonnemacher to take a 4-1 lead. Northwestern again answered Concordia's score with a one-run home half. Englund tripled to lead off the inning and Mike Zoellner drove him in with a RBI single to the right side. Down 4-2 after four, Northwestern turned to their bullpen.
Jesus Santoyo pitched a scoreless fifth inning, but the Raider offense also came up empty in the fifth. In the sixth inning Northwestern turned to freshman Mike Pettigrew. After an infield single, with three left handed hitters coming up, Northwestern went to lefty Chase Rozeboom. Rozeboom retired the first batter on a sacrifice bunt and got the next two hitters out on ground balls to the right side, giving Northwestern a chance to come back with the top of the order up in the sixth inning.
The Raider offense did just that, scoring three times in the sixth inning. Northwestern got a school record three triples in the inning, one from Brad Payne, Englund, and Zoellner. The Raiders also got a double from Curt Bomgaars and a RBI ground out by Matt Negaard in the inning. With a 5-4 lead heading into the final inning, Northwestern turned to Brad Payne for the save. Payne pitched a perfect seventh and got through CSP's 3-4-5 hitters to lock up Northwestern's first win of the year.
On the mound, Rozeboom earned his first career victory and Payne his first career save. Nonnemacher went four innings and gave up three earned runs (four total), he walked one and struck out three in the no decision. In the bullpen, Santoyo, Pettigrew, Rozeboom, and Payne all combined to allow only two base-runners in three innings of work.
Offensively, Englund was 3/3 with two runs scored and a RBI, Zoellner was 2/3 with two RBI, while Bomgaars and Payne both added hits. Northwestern moved to 1-1 on the season after the split with Concordia-St. Paul.
Northwestern 9 Concordia-Nebraska 3
Northwestern and fellow GPAC school Concordia-Nebraska faced off in a non-conference doubleheader in the Metrodome on Friday afternoon. Northwestern took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after Steve Englund had a two-out single, stole second, and scored on a Curt Bomgaars RBI single. The lead was short lived, though, as Concordia scored twice in the bottom half of the inning.
The Bulldogs added another run in the third inning and had a 3-1 lead heading into the fourth inning. Northwestern scored three times in the fourth, on three hits and a Concordia error. Mike Zoellner, Matt Gray, and Ty Bouchard each had hits in the inning. Northwestern scored again, in the fifth inning, on a single by Englund, a stolen base, and a RBI single by Zoellner.
In the sixth inning, Brad Payne singled and stole second and was driven home by a Englund double. Englund eventually scored on a couple wild pitches. In the seventh, up 7-3, Northwestern added a couple more insurance runs behind a Bouchard RBI double scoring Gray, who had walked, and a Chuck Stith RBI ground out.
Kirkeby picked up the win for Northwestern, throwing five innings and allowing only three hits. Kirkeby gave up two earned runs, walked one, and struck out three. Eddie Pantzlaff pitched a scoreless sixth inning and Bret Larson pitched a scoreless seventh inning to move the Raiders to 2-1 on the season.
At the plate, Englund and Bouchard each went 4/4. Englund had two stolen bases, three runs scored, and a RBI, while Bouchard drove home two runners. Zoellner had two hits, a RBI, and a run scored. Gray stole two bases, scored twice, and had a base-hit. Chris Butler, running for Bouchard, scored twice and stole three bases.
Northwestern 8 Concordia-Nebraska 6
Northwestern jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first inning behind three hits, one error, two hit batsmen, a walk, and a RBI ground-out. Concordia pushed to get back into the game, scoring once in the third and once in the fourth. Northwestern responded in the fourth with a run of their own. Brad Payne led off the fourth with a triple and scored on a RBI single by Matt Negaard to increase the lead to 6-2.
Concordia scored twice in the fifth to cut the deficit to 6-4, but again Northwestern answered, scoring twice as well. Mike Zoellner led off the inning with a single and was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice by Matt Gray. After Gray stole second base, Chuck Stith walked and Mike Shields hit a single to load the bases for Payne. Payne reached first on a wild pitch/strike out, scoring Gray. Chris Butler, who was running for Stith, scored on a throwing error by the shortstop, to give Northwestern an 8-4 lead heading into the sixth inning.
Concordia scored twice in the sixth inning to pull within 8-6 after six, but the game was called due to Metrodome time limit rules.
Taylor Morris, making his first college start on the mound, picked up the win and went four innings. He allowed three hits, two runs, three walks, and struck out seven. Eddie Pantzlaff allowed two runs in an inning and Bret Larson allowed two runs in an inning.
Offensively, Shields and Payne each had two hits. Shields had two RBI, Payne scored twice, and Gray stole two bases in the victory and scored twice.
Northwestern is now 3-1 and will get back on the diamond on Feb. 26/27 in Joplin, Missouri in a tournament featuring Graceland, Sioux Falls, and Doane.
