MARVYILLE, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team picked up another MIAA win with a 14-10 triumph over Lindenwood University in the first game of a three-game weekend set on Friday.

Northwest (20-23 overall, 15-13 MIAA) generated 15 hits and turned it over to closer Trevor Dudar to get the final four outs in the three-hour, 52-minute contest.

Both squads dented the scoreboard in the first inning. Following a single to lead off the game, senior D.J. Miller clobbered a home run ball to deep left center field. The two-run shot allowed the Lions to take the early 2-0 lead.

In the home half of the inning, senior infield Logan Rycraft led off and was hit by a pitch to give Northwest its first baserunner. Rycraft would go on to be hit three times during the game. After junior infielder Calvin Rudolph reached on a hit by pitch, first baseman Conner Quick singled, scoring Rycraft and moving Rudolph to third. Rudolph scored on the very next pitch after senior catcher Alixon Herrera grounded out. Northwest tied the game at two runs apiece heading into the second.

After shutting Lindenwood down in the top of the inning, the Bearcats tacked on another run during a run down play that scored sophomore outfielder Matt Gastner. The Bearcats would add another single run in the third to take the lead, 4-2.

Following a quiet fourth inning by both squads, home plate got busy during the fifth. The Lions led off the fifth by scoring three runs on four hits and retaking the lead back from the Bearcats, 5-4.

Northwest had its largest scoring inning of the afternoon in the fifth, scoring five runs on five hits and stole the lead back from Lindenwood, 9-5. The Bearcats successfully loaded the bases twice during the inning, scoring the first two runs on senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez’s single to center. Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson and senior infielder Jay Hrdlicka scored on the hit. Rycraft then slapped a bases-clearing double to deep left-center field, that scored senior outfielder Derek Hussey, Gutierrez and Gastner.

After another rare scoreless innings by both teams in the sixth, Lindenwood crossed a run in the top of the seventh attributed to successful small ball and brought the Northwest lead back to just three runs.

The Bearcat offense heated back up in the home half of the seventh, scoring three runs on two hits and bringing the score to 12-6. Following a leadoff single by Hussey and Rycraft being hit by a pitch, Rudolph reached third on a Lion error that scored the two runners. Rudolph would record the third run of the inning on the very next at bat after Herrera singled to center field.

Lindenwood showed its power in the eighth by smashing a two-out grand slam to claw back at the Northwest lead, 12-10.

Northwest added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, initiated by a two-out single by Rycraft, who advanced to second on a balk. Rycraft scored on the next at bat after a RBI double was hit by Rudolph to right field. Succeeding, Quick recorded his second RBI of the game, hitting a single up the middle to score Rudolph.

Northwest head coach Darin Loe turned it over to Dudar as he recorded his eighth successful save of the season by getting the final four outs.

Sophomore Max Spitzmiller was accredited with the win for Northwest, tossing five full innings of work and allowing five runs (five earned) on nine hits and striking out two.

First pitch is set for game two of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday in Maryville.

NOTES: Quick extended his team-high 27-game on base streak … Gastner and Hussey recorded a three-hit outing, Hussey’s ninth on the season (team-high) … four Bearcats notched multi-RBI game (Rycraft, Quick, Herrera, Gutierrez).

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Missouri – The Emporia State Hornets scored a pair of five-inning victories over the Northwest Missouri State University softball team on Friday.

Emporia State took the opener, 11-3. The Hornets then completed the two-game sweep with a 10-0 triumph.

GAME ONE
The Bearcats committed five errors and the Lions took advantage and scored 11 runs (four unearned) in a five-inning contest.

Emporia State fed off two errors in the third for a four-run inning and then added three more runs off two more errors in the fourth.

Trailing 7-0, the Bearcat offense woke up with a pair of blasts. Karli Allen led off the fourth with a home run to center. After a Kiana Baderdeen walk, Sydne Brashear crushed a home run to right-center to cut the Horrnet lead to 7-3.

However the Hornets tacked on four more runs in the fifth and the Bearcats added another error in the frame.

Regan Thompson took the loss (5-11) as she pitched 3 2/3 and gave up seven hits and seven runs (three earned).

GAME TWO
The Bearcats cleaned up the defensive miscues but could only muster seven hits and did not scratch across a run in a 10-0 defeat in five innings.

Emporia State scored two in the first, four in the second, three in the third and a single run in the fourth.

Rachel Smith suffered the loss (4-10) as she went 1 2/3 and gave up seven hits, six runs (all earned). Logan Wenzel pitched the final 3 1/3 innings and gave up five hits, four runs (all earned) with a walk and a strikeout.

NOTES: Emporia State had 11 stolen bases in the doubleheader … Allen hit her ninth home run of the season … Brashear hit her fifth homer on the year … Olivia Daugherty cracked her 10th double on the season.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader at Rockhust University on Wednesday.

The Bearcats scored a 6-4, eight-inning win in the opener, only to see the Hawks rally in the nightcap for a 7-5 triumph.

GAME ONE
Northwest scored an extra-inning triumph over Rockhurst with a pair of runs in the eighth inning to take it, 6-4.

Connor Quick had a two-hit game to extend his hitting streak to 18 in a row, but it was Derek Hussey who came through with a one-out, two-run single to left field that provided the winning runs in the opener.

Alixon Herrera scored an unearned run in the second to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. Herrera doubled to lead off the second and moved to third on a passed ball. Matt Gastner hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Herrera.

After giving up a solo homer in the bottom half of the second, Northwest plated a pair of runs in the third. Jordan Peck posted a leadoff double and eventually scored on a Logan Rycraft single to right. Rycraft stole second and scored on an error during Quick’s at bat in the third.

The Bearcats extended the margin to three runs in the fourth. For the third consecutive inning Northwest had its leadoff batter double – this time it was Peter Carlson with the two-bagger. Hussey moved him over to third on a sacrifice bunt and Carlson scored on a sac fly from Rycraft.

Northwest had built a 4-1 lead through three and a half innings before Rockhurst notched a run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to even it up at 4-4.

Trevor Dudar pitched the seventh and got the win, while Aaron Easley worked around a walk in the eighth to earns his second save of the season.

GAME TWO
Northwest looked to take both ends of the doubleheader as the Bearcats built a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. However, Rockhurst rallied with three in the fourth and four in the sixth to get the split, 7-5.

A leadoff double from Gastner in the second was followed by another double from Mondesi Gutierrez to put the Bearcats on the board, 1-0. Hussey laced a single to left that scored Gutierrez and gave the Bearcats a 2-0 cushion. Hussey stole second and claimed both third and home on wild pitches for a 3-0 Bearcat advantage. Northwest had a chance to blow the contest wide open, but left the bases loaded in the second.

The Bearcats added to the lead in the fourth. Hussey led off with a single to left. Rycraft reached on a bunt single to the pitcher and Calvin Rudolph loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Quick drew a bases loaded walk to score Hussey. Herrera then lifted a sac fly to center to make it 5-0 in favor of the Bearcats. However, Northwest failed to do any more damage as Rudolph was picked off and Gastner flied out to left.

The Hawks got to Bearcat starter Tristan Ledger in the fourth for three runs. Max Ross relieved him with two out in the fourth and got out of a bases loaded jam with the Bearcats holding a 5-3 lead.

Russell Simmons retired the side in order in the fifth, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Simmons got two outs in the sixth but left the bases loaded following a single and two walks. Jarret Cronin came on and induced a ground ball to Rycraft at shortstop, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score and the game was tied. The Hawks came through with a two-out two-RBI single to extend the Rockhurst lead to 7-5.

The Bearcats attempted a two-out rally in the seventh. Peter Carlson worked the count full and drew a walk. Gutierrez then reached on an error to put the tying runs on base. However, Jordan Peck struck out to end it.

Simmons suffered the loss and dropped to 0-3 on the year.

NOTES: Rycraft had a three-hit game in the second contest … Hussey went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in the nightcap … Quick’s 18-game hitting streak was snapped in the second game, but he drew a walk to extend his consecutive on-base games streak to 26 in a row.

— Northwest Athletics —