A pair of solid pitching performances bookended a double-header sweep of Lincoln Saturday taking game one 7-0 before the Northwest Missouri State baseball team held off the Blue Tigers in the second game 8-3.
Ryker Fox threw his second complete game of the season as the junior scattered just three hits over seven innings for his fifth win. Fox also struck out nine as the Northwest offense provided the fire power to aid in the victory.
Northwest scored runs in each of the first three innings to build a 6-0 lead. Ryan Abernathy drove a one-out double into the gap to score Charlie Krueger and Steven Garber in the bottom of the second giving the Bearcats a 3-0 lead.
Krueger would answer in the bottom of the third as he lifted one out single to left scoring Eric McGlauflin and Tyler Durant. On the very next pitch Krueger would come around to score as Garber belted a double off the center field wall pushing the Northwest lead to six.
Garber would record his second RBI of the game with a single in the fifth to give the Bearcats an insurance run.
Game two saw another strong outing on the mound from the Bearcats as Marcus Garrett picked up his third win of the year.
Garrett allowed just one hit over seven innings while striking out six. The bullpen also carried the Bearcats as Blane Reutter and Patrick Brady pitched the eighth and ninth innings to help preserve the win.
The offense again provided the power needed as the Bearcats scored runs in each of the first four runs to build a 6-0 lead. After a sacrifice fly from Tyler Durant in the first inning plated Abernathy Northwest added two more runs in the second.
Garber doubled home Paul Johnson before Brandon Huske singled home Garber to give the Bearcats a three run lead.
The Blue Tigers would post a small rally in the top of the sixth scratching one run across before getting two more runs in the eighth. However, the Bearcats would add the two runs back in the bottom of the eighth as Brady shut the door in the ninth for the 8-3 win.
The Bearcats and Blue Tigers close out the series Sunday with a single game at Bearcat Field. First pitch is slated for noon.
— Northwest Media Relations —