The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team picked up a 7-4 win over Southwest Baptist on Saturday at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

Northwest improves to 20-17 overall and 15-12 in MIAA play. Southwest Baptist falls to 17-20 overall and 12-15 in conference action.

Brad Roberts got the start and went 7.0 innings. He did not allow an earned run on the day and struck out five batters while walking four.

Ozzie Adams went 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBI, a run scored and a double. He was also hit by a pitch in the fourth and came around to score the game’s first run.

Saturday was Military Appreciation Day. Thank you to the Missouri National Guard who provided free food and t-shirts to the spectators.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored seven runs on 11 hits but committed three errors. Northwest got two in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the seventh.
– All four of SBU’s runs came in the eighth. Southwest Baptist finished the day with four runs on seven hits with no errors.
– Nick Gotta scored two runs for Northwest, going 2-for-5 on the day with an RBI. He recorded a double, a triple and a stolen base.
– James Holler was 2-for-4 with an RBI. He also picked up a stolen base.
– Jay Hrdlicka went 1-for-3 with an RBI. He was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning.
– Kolby Greenslade went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
– Garrett Fort turned two walks in to two runs scored. He recorded his team-leading 14th stolen base in the fifth inning.
– Kevin Handzlik scored a run and drew a walk on the afternoon.
– Bryce Shea came on in relief in the eighth inning. He did not allow an earned run in the frame. He allowed one hit and recorded a strikeout without issuing a walk.
– Carson Smith got his fifth save of the year by working a perfect ninth. He struck out two batters while using just 11 pitches.

Key Northwest Innings
– Roberts worked perfect fifth and sixth innings for Northwest. He retired eight straight batters from the top of the third to the fifth.

– With two down and runners on first and second, Hrdlicka placed a well hit ball in the gap in left centerfield to drive in Adams, who started the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Handzlik, who drew a one-out walk, moved from first to third on the hit. In the next at bat, Northwest attempted a double steal. Hrdlicka was caught in a rundown but Handzlik was able to score from third before Hrdlicka was tagged out at first to make it 2-0 Northwest.

– With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Greenslade hit an infield single to first, beating the throw to the pitcher covering. Gotta came up next and pulled a ball down the right field line that got past the first baseman. Greenslade came around to score all the way from first and Gotta pulled into second with a stand up double. Fort drew a walk to bring up Adams. After Gotta and Fort each stole bases, Gotta hit a single to left to score Gotta and put runners on the corners. Holler hit an infield single to score Gotta to make it 5-0 Northwest.

– Gotta led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple that cleared the centerfielder’s glove and bounced to the wall. Fort followed it up by drawing a walk to put two on with no outs. Adams laced a ball to the right field fence for a double to drive in Gotta and Fort, but Adams was thrown out trying to take third on the play as Northwest took a 7-0 lead.

Up Next
– The series concludes at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 17.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s and women’s tennis teams dropped Saturday matches at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo.

The Northwest men dropped a close 5-4 decision while the women fell by a score of 8-1.

The Northwest men fall to 15-3 overall and 3-1 in MIAA play. SBU’s men improve to 10-5 overall and 3-0 in conference action.

Northwest’s women drop to 9-11 overall and 5-3 in league play. Southwest Baptist’s women move to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in MIAA action.

Match Results
Men’s Scores
1. #46 Abohabaga,Sherif (SBU) def. #49 Boissinot,Romain (NW) 7-6, 6-4
2. Argoston,Gyorgy (SBU) def. Riveros,Alvaro (NW) 6-2, 6-2
3. Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) def. Blodig,Chris (SBU) 7-5, 6-2
4. Semrau,Torben (SBU) def. Tete,Mauro (NW) 7-6, 6-2
5. Rodriguez,Raul (SBU) def. Glowick,Fin (NW) 6-1, 6-1
6. Autones,Aymeric (NW) def. Castillo,Marcel (SBU) 6-2, 6-2

1. Riveros,Alvaro/Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) def. Abohabaga,Sherif/Argoston,Gyorgy (SBU) 8-6
2. Blodig,Chris/Semrau,Torben (SBU) def. Boissinot,Romain/Autones,Aymeric (NW) 8-2
3. Tete,Mauro/Altmann,Josef (NW) def. Rodriguez,Raul/Diab,Omar (SBU) 8-2

Women’s Scores
1. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NW) def. #40 Zentai,Christina (SBU) 6-2, 2-5, retired
2. #12 Zehnder,Maria Josie (SBU) def. Emersic,Kaja (NW) 6-1, 6-3
3. Soares,Lara (SBU) def. Jacquet,Margaux (NW) 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
4. Vickov,Klara (SBU) def. Gallardo,Andrea (NW) 6-0, 6-0
5. Tuemmers,Lani (SBU) def. Sestokaite,Vilune (NW) 6-4, 6-2
6. Jovanovic,Zorana (SBU) def. Berghaus,Marie (NW) 6-3, 6-1

1. #14 Zentai,Christina/Soares,Lara (SBU) def. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas/Sestokaite,Vilune (NW) 8-3
2. Zehnder,Maria Josie/Tuemmers,Lani (SBU) def. Jacquet,Margaux/Dibbins,Rachel (NW) 8-1
3. Vickov,Klara/Jovanovic,Zorana (SBU) def. Emersic,Kaja/Gallardo,Andrea (NW) 8-3

The Northwest men take on Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday, April 17, at noon. The Northwest women’s next action is scheduled for Friday, April 22, for an MIAA match at Fort Hays State in Hays, Kan., at 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team beat Southwest Baptist, 3-2, on Friday afternoon in 10 innings at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

Northwest loaded the bases with two down in the 10th and scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

The win moves Northwest to 19-17 overall and 14-12 in MIAA action. Southwest Baptist falls to 17-19 overall and 12-14 in conference play.

Joseph Hietpas had a quality start for Northwest, going 5.2 innings with five walks and six strikeouts. He allowed just two runs on three hits.

Nikko Pablo pitched 4.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and one walk. He struck out four batters.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored three runs on eight hits with no errors. Northwest scored single runs in the third, fourth and 10th innings.
– Southwest Baptist scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. SBU finished the day with two runs on five hits with no errors.
– Aaron Barratt went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
– Ozzie Adams scored the game’s winning run in the 10th. He was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. He was also hit by a pitch in the 10th.
– James Holler went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI
– Jake Lewis and Kolby Greenslade each picked up a double in the game. Greenslade drew one walk and Lewis was issued two free passes.
– Nick Gotta went 1-for-5 on the day.
– Garrett Fort drew a walk and came around to score a run in the third inning.
– Carson Smith got the final out of the 10th inning to pick up the win. He is now 4-3 on the year.
– Southwest Baptist had three wild pitches on the day and one passed ball.

Key Northwest Innings
– Hietpas retired the first five batters of the game and did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the top of the fourth.

– Fort drew a walk to open the third and moved to second on a wild pitch. Adams grounded out to second, moving Fort to third. With one out, SBU brought the infield in and got Holler to hit a grounder to first. But after a brief hesitation, Fort came home and the throw to the plate was late to give Northwest a 1-0 lead.

– Northwest took the lead back in the fourth as Barratt drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Greenslade. After a second out, Greenslade made it to third on a wild pitch. Adams drove in Barratt with a single through the left side to make it 2-1 Northwest.

– Adams led off the 10th by getting hit by a pitch. He went to second on a passed ball. Holler drew a walk and was pinch ran for by Austin Wulff. Handzlik laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third with one out. Lewis was intentionally walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Barratt came to the plate with the bases loaded and two down. After falling behind, Barratt battled back to draw the count even. On a 2-2 pitch, the pitch bounced past the catcher to the backstop, allowing Adams to score the winning run from third.

Up Next
– The three game series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. Northwest has partnered with the Missouri National Guard for Military Day featuring free hot dogs, hamburgers and t-shirts. Military equipment will be on site and the team will wear special camo jerseys.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State softball pitcher Sarah Baldwin has been named MIAA/AstroTurf Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season, as announced by the league office Tuesday. Baldwin previously earned the recognition on March 1. This is the fourth time a Bearcat pitcher has been given the honor, tied with Pittsburg State for the most this season. Fellow senior Kendle Schieber has also garnered two weekly awards.

Baldwin tossed a pair of complete game shutouts over the weekend, extending her current scoreless innings streak to 22. The senior struck out 13 batters across 12 innings of work, surrendering just nine hits. The Chillicothe, Mo. native held then league-leading Pittsburg State scoreless in a 3-0 victory Friday before limiting Missouri Southern to two hits in Saturday’s 8-0 triumph on Senior Day. For the season, Baldwin ranks in the top five in the MIAA in ERA, opponent’s batting average, hits allowed and walks.

The Bearcats will return to the diamond Thursday, April 14 when they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. for a non-conference doubleheader with Missouri Western. First pitch from the Spring Sports Complex is set for 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University junior Romain Boissinot was named the MIAA’s Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week on Monday in a release from the conference office. This is the second time this year that Boissinot has collected the conference’s weekly honor, winning back on March 7.

For the week, Boissinot went 2-0 at No. 1 singles and 2-0 at No. 2 doubles in team victories over No. 26 Ouachita Baptist and No. 11 Midwestern State. Against Ouachita Baptist, he knocked off the nation’s No. 47 ranked player and on Saturday, he beat the nation’s No. 44 ranked player from Midwestern State. Both of those matches were won in three sets. He teamed with Aymeric Autones to pick up doubles wins at the No. 2 position.

The Northwest men are 15-2 on the year and are 3-0 in MIAA play. The Bearcats will head to Bolivar, Mo., on Saturday, April 16, to face Southwest Baptist at 10 a.m. SBU is currently 9-5 overall and 2-0 in MIAA action.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team beat No. 19 Missouri Southern on Sunday, 19-15, at Warren Turner Field in Joplin, Mo.

It was the most Bearcat runs scored since a 20-10 victory over Nebraska-Kearney back on March 13, 2015.

The 17 hits tied the season-high set back on April 1, a 12-6 win over Pittsburg State.

Northwest improved to 18-16 overall and 13-11 in MIAA play with the win. The Lions fall to 24-11 and 14-10 in conference action.

Centerfielder Garrett Fort had a career-day, going 5-of-6 at the plate wiht six RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.  Ozzie Adams drove in four runs, going 2-for-7 with a run scored.

Eight different Bearcat players recorded a hit and 10 players scored a run.

Northwest also tied a season high with 12 walks, marching the mark set in a 12-10 win at Washburn on March 10.

The three Bearcat home runs tied the mark set earlier in the week against Nebraska-Kearney on April 5.

Northwest will begin a three-game mid-week series with Missouri Western starting on Wednesday, April 13 at 3 p.m. at Bearcat Field.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team topped Missouri Southern via the eight-run rule twice Saturday afternoon in Maryville, Mo.

The Bearcats honored seniors Madison Jones, Sarah Baldwin and Kendle Schieber before first pitch.

Jones crushed a home run and Schieber struck out seven in game one, leading to a 9-1 Bearcat victory.

Baldwin continued her recent success in the circle, tossing another complete game shutout en route to a 8-0 triumph.

Northwest is now 33-9 overall and 17-5 in conference play, while the Lions fall to 22-29 this season and 9-13 in the MIAA.

The Bearcats will travel to St. Joseph, Mo. for a pair of non-conference games with #18 Missouri Western Thursday, April 14th. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Missouri Southern, 7-6, on Saturday afternoon at Warren Turner Field in Joplin, Mo.

The Bearcats fall to 17-16 on the year and 12-11 in MIAA action. The No. 19 ranked Lions improved to 24-10 overall and 14-9 in conference play.

James Holler went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. He hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the year on solo shots. It was his second multi-home run game of the season.

Joseph Hietpas got the start and went 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits. Only five of the runs were earned. He struck out five and walked five.  Nikko Pablo pitched the final 2.1 innings. He allowed just one unearned run and struck out three.

The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team used a pair of complete game shutouts to sweep MIAA-leading Pittsburg State Friday afternoon at Bearcat Softball Field in Maryville.

Madison Jones knocked in the winning run in the ninth inning of game one, helping the Bearcats to a 1-0 victory.

Sarah Baldwin tossed her second-straight complete game shutout in the 3-0 game two victory.

Northwest improves to 31-9 this season and 15-5 in conference play, while the Gorillas fall to 33-12 overall and 17-3 in the MIAA.

The Bearcats secured the sixth 30-win season in program history, doing so in 39 games, the fewest needed to reach 30 wins in team history (2006, 41 wins).

The Northwest pitching staff extended its current scoreless inning streak to 24 innings, the longest such streak since at least 2004.

The Bearcats will wrap up their home schedule tomorrow, April 9 when they host Missouri Southern at noon. The team will honor its three seniors before first pitch.

— Northwest Athletics —