Baseball goes 1-3 against Cameron
LAWTON, Okla. — The Northwest baseball team kept it close throughout its four-game weekend series with Cameron University, but ultimately only prevailed in one meeting on the first day of double-headers.
On Friday, the Bearcats dropped the first game, 5-2, but rebounded to win the nightcap, 5-3.
The Aggies jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a big second inning in game one. Northwest plated a couple of runs in the top of the fourth inning to pull within two, but Cameron added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning.
Junior Nick Gotta, sophomore Paul Johnson, sophomore Kolby Greenslade, senior Steven Garber and sophomore Luke Wilkinson each recorded hits for the Bearcats.
Freshman Brad Roberts suffered the loss, throwing five innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Northwest scored two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to comeback and win Friday’s nightcap, splitting day one with the Aggies.
Cameron scored two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning — Gotta hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth.
Sophomore right fielder Austin Wulff led off the sixth by reaching base on an error and moved to second on a single by freshman Nick Howard. Junior catcher Derek Meyer came up with a two-run single to left and Gotta drove in the final run of the evening with a single.
Sophomore Anthony Caenepeel picked up the win, throwing five innings and allowing four hits. Senior Carson Smith picked up the save, with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.
Cameron swept Northwest on day two, picking up 6-1 and 9-4 wins over the Bearcats, who are now 2-5 on the season.
A five-run fifth inning sealed the win for the Aggies in game one after Northwest scored its lone run in the top of the third on a bases-loaded walk by Meyer.
Freshman Joseph Hietpas took the loss after going 4.2 innings and allowing four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and just one walk.
Northwest scored all four of its runs in the first two innings of the series finale, but couldn’t hold on. Cameron scored single runs in the first and second before tying things up with two runs in the third. They added one run in the fifth, three in the seventh and one in the eighth to win the series 3-1.
Johnson went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the second inning while Greenslade and Howard also recorded a pair of hits each.
Sophomore Nikko Pablo, one of six Northwest pitchers in the contest, suffered the loss after throwing 3.2 innings in relief and allowing three runs on three hits. Senior Kole Klocko got the start, but only lasted 1.1 innings.
The Bearcats open MIAA play with a four-game series against Northeastern State, starting with a 3 p.m. contest Friday, Feb. 20 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
