Having won their last 4 out 5 games, the Northwest Missouri State baseball team was able to carry that success over and win game one 5-1 but dropped game two 6-5.
Northwest plated two runs in the first inning to go up early. JJ Baccari singled to left center to score Ryan Abernathy. Brandon Huske scored, later in the inning, from third on a passed ball to put his team up 2-0.
Emporia State was able to cut the lead in half as they scored one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Bearcats answered back in the sixth when Steven Garber hit a two run double to right center that scored Charlie Kreuger and Eric Swain to go up 4-1.
Northwest added one more insurance run in the top of the seventh when Huske again scored on a passed ball.
Ryker Fox got the win and improves to 4-4 on the season. Fox went 4.2 innings giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out five. Nathanial Horton notched his fourth save of the season while striking out three.
Northwest plated the first run of the game again in game two as Swain hit a solo home run to left field.
ESU took the lead in the third inning getting two runs across to go on top 2-1.
The Bearcats took the lead back in the fourth inning off the bat of Eric Swain who hit his fourth home run in three games. It was a two run shot for Swain putting his team up 3-2.
The lead was short lived for Northwest as ESU answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
Northwest battled back to score one run in the fifth and one in the sixth with Tyler Durant and Derek Meyer picking up the RBIs to put their team up 5-4.
The Bearcats were unable to hold the lead in the ninth as ESU battled to tie the game up and send it into extra innings. Emporia won the game in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off single to right field to win the game 6-5.
Marcus Garrett was the starting pitcher and went 6.1 innings but got the no decision. Austin Warren was tagged with the loss.
Northwest moves to 14-24 on the season and 11-21 in conference play. The final game of the series will be played Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon.
— NWMSU Sports Information —