The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to No. 9 Central Missouri, 9-4, on Monday afternoon at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

– The Bearcats fall to 16-10 on the year and 5-8 in conference play. Central Missouri improves to 20-6 and 12-4 in MIAA action.

– Landon Figg hit his first home run of the season in the fifth. He went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a double.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored one run in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. The Mules got five in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the ninth.

– The Bearcats scored four runs on 10 hits with no errors. Central Missouri had nine runs with 10 hits and no errors.

– Luke Hassman was 2-for-3 with a home run. He also drew a walk.

– Jay Hrdlicka was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.

– Ozzie Adams went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a walk.

– Kolby Greenslade was 1-for-3 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

– Kevin Handzlik and Logan Rycraft were each 1-for-4.

– James Holler drew two walks.

– Brad Roberts got the start and went 4.0 innings. He struck out four and issued just one walk.

– Jacob Wagner worked a scoreless fifth inning, allowing one hit with a strikeout.

– Quintin Van Ackeren pitched 3.0 innings, allowing one run. He struck out two and walked one.

– Nikko Pablo came in for the ninth inning, allowing one run on one hit. He did not issue a walk and struck out two.

Key Northwest Innings
– With two down in the third, Adams drew a four-pitch walk to keep the inning alive. Figg took an 0-1 pitch down the first base line and deep into right field. Adams, who took off on contact, was able to score all the way from first on Figg’s double.

– Hrdlicka hit a one out single to right in the fourth and went to third on a Handzlik single up the middle. Greenslade lifted a sacrifice fly deep to left center, allowing Hrdlicka to tag and score for Northwest’s second run.

– The Bearcats put together a two-out rally in the fifth, courtesy of back-to-back long balls. Figg took a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for his first home run of the season. Hassman then worked a 3-0 count and on a green light, launched his team-leading fifth home run over the left field wall for Northwest’s fourth run of the game.

Up Next
– Northwest has altered its midweek schedule Nebraska-Kearney. The Bearcats will now play on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in Kearney, Neb., instead of on Wednesday.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University junior Justin Pitts was named the DII Bulletin Player of the Year and coach Ben McCollum has been announced as the Coach of the Year. Pitts was also named to the publication’s All-America first team and McCollum captured the MIAA Coach of the Year honor.

Pitts was also named the NABC and Basketball Times Player of the Year earlier this month. He averaged 20.9 points in 36 games this season. He set the Northwest career record with 1,929 points and set single season records with 754 points, 183 assists, 275 made field goals and 553 field goals attempted. He scored in double figures in 34 of the team’s 36 games. He was named the MIAA Player of the Year, the MIAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, the NCAA Central Region Most Outstanding Player and the NCAA Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player.

McCollum, who completed his eighth season at Northwest, led the Bearcats to a Northwest and a program and MIAA record 35 victories en route to the 2017 NCAA Division II national championship. He was named the MIAA Coach of the Year for the third straight season. He was also named the NABC Coach of the Year. He holds a 176-71 record and is one of just three programs nationwide to win 20 or more games in each of the past six seasons.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University softball team swept Northeastern State on Sunday in Tahlequah, Okla.

Northwest is now 16-10 on the year and 5-1 in MIAA play. The RiverHawks fall to 17-18 overall and 6-6 in conference action.
Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 5, Northeastern State 4)
– Northwest scored three in the third and two in the sixth. The RiverHawks scored one in the first, one in the fourth and two in the fifth.

– The Bearcats had five runs on 10 hits with four errors. Northeastern state had four runs on six hits with an error.

– Torri Blythe was 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a double.

– Rebecca Maher also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

– Chantel Adams was 2-for-3 with an RBI. She drew a walk and had a double.

– Abigail Gilson went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a double and a walk.

– Karli Allen went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

– Kiana Baderdeen drove in a run.

– Kaitlin Weis was 1-for-4 with an RBI.

– Holly Posegate got the win. She pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief with four strikeouts.

– Taylor Blackford got the start. She allowed two earned runs in 4.1 innings. She struck out two and did not issue a walk.

Game One Key Innings
– Northwest scored three in the third as Allen, Blythe and Maher all scored. The inning was helped by an error to begin the inning. Maher, Weis and Adams each had RBIs in the inning.

– In the sixth, Adams led off with a single and Gilson doubled to center. Rawie walked to load the bases. After an out, Baderdeen hit a sacrifice fly to score Gilson. Blythe then hit an RBI double to score Rawie.
Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 5, Northeastern State 2)
– Northwest scored two in the first and three in the sixth. The RiverHawks got their two runs in the fifth.

– The Bearcats had five runs on 12 hits. Northeastern
State had two runs on three hits. Neither team had an error.

– Blythe was 2-for-4.

– Maher was 1-for-4 with a run.

– Weis was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI. She also threw a complete game in the circle, allowing just two runs on three hits. She struck out two. She had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning.

– Adams was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

– Gilson went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

– Rawie went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

– Kailey Siemonsma got a pinch-hit RBI double.

– Baderden went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Game Two Key Innings
– Blythe led off the first with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Maher singled but Blythe was tagged out at third. Weis singled to drive in Maher and Adams followed it with a single to score Weis.

– Weis started the sixth with a double. After an out, Gilson singled to short and Rawie had a single to left to score Weis. Siemonsma pinch hit and doubled to center, scoring Gilson. Baderdeen then hit a single to center to score Rawie.

Up Next
– Northwest will play Newman University on Tuesday, March 28, in Blue Springs, Mo., starting at 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team split a double header with Central Missouri on Sunday at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

– The Bearcats lost the first game, 4-1, but rebounded to take the second game, 7-2.

– Northwest is now 16-9 on the year and 5-7 in MIAA play. No. 9 ranked Central Missouri is now 19-6 and 11-4 in conference action.
Game One Key Statistics (Central Missouri 4, Northwest 1)
– Northwest scored its run in the sixth inning. The Mules got two runs in the fourth, one in the sixth and one in the ninth.

– The Bearcats had one run on three hits with an error. Central Missouri had four runs on nine hits with an error.

– Anthony Caenepeel got the start and went 8.0 innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked one.

– Ozzie Adams went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk.

– Luke Hassman and Kolby Greenslade each went 1-for-4.

Game One Key Innings
– The Bearcats led off the sixth with a Fort walk. Adams then took the second pitch he saw deep to left field for an RBI double.
Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 7, Central Missouri 2)
– Northwest scored one in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth, one in the sixth and three in the seventh. The Mules scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

– The Bearcats had seven runs on 12 hits with two errors. Central Missouri had two runs on seven hits with an error.

– Adams went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

– Jay Hrdlicka went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and drove in three runs. He also drew a walk, stole a base and hit a home run.

– Hassman was 2-for-4 with a home run. He drove in a pair of runs.

– Garrett Fort was 2-for-5.

– Landon Figg and James Holler each drew walks and both came around to score runs.

– Logan Rycraft went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

– Greenslade went 1-for-4.

– Joseph Hietpas got the win, going 6.2 innings. He allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out 10 and walked just one.

– Jacob Wagner, Austin Battaglia and Nikko Pablo did not allow a run in relief.
Game Two Key Innings
– Adams had a one out single to right in the first. He made it all the way to third on a wild pitch and an error by the catcher. Hassman drove him in with a single to left.

– Rycraft singled to lead off the third and came around to score on an Adams single two batters later.

– Hassman started the fourth with a home run to left field to make it 3-0 Bearcats.

– In the sixth, Hrdlicka led off with a walk and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.

– Northwest got three in the seventh. Figg and Holler drew back to back walks and Hrdlicka drove a ball over the right field fence for a three-run homer.

Up Next
– The series concludes on Monday at 2 p.m. from Bearcat Field.

— Northwest Athletics —