After struggling to score runs last season the Northwest Missouri State baseball team has found its offensive swing in 2012. The offensive production was more evident than ever Friday afternoon as the Bearcats pounded eight home runs to rout Fort Hays State 29-3 in MIAA action setting a school record for runs scored in the process.
Northwest who improved to 2-7 overall, more importantly jumped to a 1-0 record in MIAA play. The Tigers fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the MIAA after today’s conference opener for both teams.
FHSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a home run, but Bearcat starter Chris Green would put the clamp down on the Tigers’ bats. Green moved to 2-0 on the year as he scattered seven hits over the seven inning complete game win.
After Jake Kretzer was hit by a pitch to lead-off the inning Travis Green would connect on the first of three home runs on the day. Northwest would bat around in the inning scoring two more runs on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Eric McGlauflin. McGlauflin also had a career day going 6-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
The four-run second inning would just be the start of things to come in a record setting day for the Bearcats.
With one out, Travis Green doubled down the left field line as Jon Pomatto homered in the gap to left center extending the Northwest lead to 6-1. Green had one of the more outstanding performances, not just of the day, but of a Bearcat in recent history. He finished the day 4-for-5 with five RBIs and three home runs.
After Pomatto’s homer, Cameron Bedard would blast a home run to left just two batters later and Travis Green would add his second bomb of the day with two outs closing out the inning. In all the Bearcats tallied nine runs on six hits with only one FHSU error in the third inning alone.
The Bearcats would add two more runs in the fourth inning on an Eric Swain home run.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers would scratch out their final two runs of the day on three hits.
Northwest would go on to add four runs in the fifth inning, three more in the third and seven runs in the seventh to close out a 29-3 win. Even with the Bearcats 24 hits they stranded 13 runners in the record setting win.
The previous record for runs in a game was 28 as they first set the record in 1990 against Missouri Western. The Bearcats had duplicated the record in 2007 against Minnesota-Crookston.
The Bearcats and Tigers will play a twin bill on Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m. The two teams will close out the series on Sunday with a single game slated for noon.
— NWMSU Sports Information —