Bearcats split with Central
WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The Northwest baseball team split its four game series, that ended Monday, with Central Missouri, winning the first game Saturday 2-1, splitting Sunday’s double-header and falling 14-4 Monday. The Bearcats now stand at 6-9 overall and 4-4 in MIAA play.
Saturday, a ninth-inning passed ball allowed Northwest to score the winning run and take the first game of the series 2-1.
The Bearcats scored first as sophomore left fielder James Holler scored on an error in the fourth inning. Central Missouri tied things in the bottom of the eighth, but Northwest got the run right back.
Sophomore center fielder Garrett Fort and junior shortstop Nick Gotta drew back to back walks to open the ninth and moved into scoring position on a groundout from sophomore right fielder Austin Wulff. Fort came in to score on a passed ball for what proved to be the winning run after senior Carson Smith picked up his third save of the year, inducing three straight fly balls in the bottom half of the inning.
Sophomore Anthony Caenepeel gave up six hits and struck out five in 6.1 innings and freshman Jacob Wagner earned the win, giving up one run on two hits in 1.2 innings pitched in relief.
On Sunday, Central Missouri took game one, 7-4, before Northwest bounced back to win game two 5-4, scoring the winning run in the seventh inning.
The Bearcats struck first, scoring three runs in the first inning on an RBI single from senior first baseman Steven Garber and a two-out, two-run single from senior second baseman Paul Johnson.
Central Missouri got a run back in the second, but Holler drove in Garber with a groundout in the third.
The Mules closed the gap to 4-3 with two runs in the fourth and took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth and added an insurance run in the sixth.
Sophomore Austin Battaglia was charged with the loss, giving up a pair of runs in the fifth inning in relief of freshman starter Joseph Hietpas, who allowed three runs in 3.2 innings pitched.
In game two of the double-header, the Bearcats and Mules traded second-inning runs before Johnson drove in a pair of runs in the fourth with a single.
Central Missouri countered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning before freshman third baseman Nick Howard picked up an RBI in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly. The Mules again answered to knot things at 4-4.
Garber hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the seventh to drive in Fort, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored on of the nine hole, for what proved to be the game winning run.
Smith picked up the win, his first of the season, throwing the final two innings and allowing just one base runner.
Central Missouri left little double in the series finale Monday, scoring 12 runs in three innings after an early 2-2 tie.
The Mules took a 2-0 lead in the first inning before the Bearcats leveled the score in the third, as Fort and Gotta scored on Howard’s fielder’s choice.
Central added a single run in the fourth before exploding for five in the fifth inning and six runs in the sixth inning to take a commanding 14-2 lead into the final inning.
Fort doubled in the top of the seventh, coming around to score on an error and Howard drove in Wulff with an RBI single to reach the final margin.
Sophomore Nikko Pablo took the loss, throwing 4.2 innings and giving up nine runs.
The Bearcats will make their home debut this weekend when Nebraska-Kearney heads to Maryville for a four-game conference series. A 2 p.m. matchup Friday kicks things off followed by a Saturday double-header beginning at 1 p.m. and the series finale at noon Sunday.
