The offense, defense and pitching showed up for the Northwest Missouri State baseball team Tuesday as they swept Nebraska-Kearney in a double-header winning game one 4-3 and then taking game two 7-1.
Ryan Abernathy doubled to left field to start the game off for the Bearcats in the first inning. Eric Swain knocked in Abernathy with a single to left field to put his team up 1-0.
The Bearcats added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning as Tyler Durant scored from third on a fielder’s choice by Paul Johnson and Eric McGlauflin later scored with a successful steal attempt of home.
Northwest was up 3-0 before UNK battled back to tie it up 3-3. The offenses remained quiet and the game went into extra innings.
McGlauflin reached on an error by the shortstop, in the eighth inning, putting the go-ahead run on second base. Charlie Krueger then came to the plate and smacked a single to left field scoring McGlauflin to go up 4-3.
Nathanial Horton shut down the UNK offense in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 4-3 victory and picked up his first win of the season. Horton was the pitcher of record as Austin Warren started the game going 5.1 innings giving up two earned runs and striking out two batters.
The Bearcats scored in the first inning again in game two when Eric Swain doubled to left center scoring Brandon Huske from first base who had reached on a walk. Swain later scored in the inning off a single from McGlauflin to go up 2-0.
The Lopers managed to get one run back in the bottom half of the inning but it would be the only run they got all game.
Northwest’s offense unloaded in the fifth inning adding more than enough insurance runs. Cam Bedard knocked in Steven Garber on single through the right side. Abernathy followed with a single of his own to bring in Derek Meyer. Swain continued his hot streak at the plate hitting a triple down the right field line to score Bedard and Huske. Swain scored the fifth run of the inning on an error by the third basemen putting the Bearcats up 7-1.
Rob Henrichs was dominate on the mound picking up his second win of the season. Henrichs went 6.0 strong innings allowing five hits, one earned run and striking out four Lopers.
The Bearcats move to 16-25, 13-22 on the season. Northwest will be back in action on Bearcat Field Saturday and Sunday for a three game series with Lincoln University. A double-header is scheduled for Saturday with game one slated to start at 1 p.m. with game two set to follow. The series finale will take place Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon.
— NWMSU Sports Information —