Bearcats split in 2 states Wednesday
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Northwest senior second baseman Paul Johnson drives a pitch late in a game against Fort Hays State earlier this season. Johnson went 2-for-7 with a walk and a run scored in two games Wednesday against Culver-Stockton and Quincy. The Bearcats fell 6-3 to Culver-Stockton before winning the nightcap 4-3 in 13 innings.
The Northwest baseball team earned a mid-week split in a pair of non-conference road games Wednesday, losing 6-3 to Culver-Stockton in game one in Canton and winning a 4-3, 13-inning marathon against Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois in the nightcap.
Against Culver-Stockton, the Bearcats got on the board first by plating a pair of runs in the top of the second. With one out, freshman second baseman Kevin Handzlik singled and then came around to score on a double to left-center by sophomore left fielder James Holler. After Holler moved to third on a wild pitch, junior catcher Zach Douglas drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
In the third inning, Northwest pushed its lead to 3-0 when senior designated hitter Paul Johnson scored when senior first baseman Steven Garber got caught in a rundown between first and second.
In the bottom of the second, the Wildcats jumped all over junior starter John Osborne in the bottom of the third.
Culver-Stockton used three straight singles and a triple to score five runs against Osborne and senior Alex Cross gave up the sixth run, by giving up a bases-loaded walk with two outs.
Garber, Handzlik and Holler each recorded a pair of hits on the day and the Bearcats used five pitchers in the contest.
After taking a short bus ride across state lines, the Bearcats scored in the first inning against Quincy to take an early lead.
Junior shortstop Nick Gotta led off the game with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a single by junior catcher Derek Meyer moved him to third, he scored as Johnson grounded into a double play.
In the top of the second, sophomore right fielder Austin Wulff drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle with two outs.
Quincy started to battle back in the fifth as designated hitter Zach Knese homered to right off of sophomore Austin Battaglia, who relieved freshman starter Brad Roberts after three innings.
The Hawks got to redshirt-freshman reliever Jacob Wagner in the bottom of the eighth for a pair of runs to tie the game at 3-3 before senior Carson Smith and junior Rob Henrichs combined to throw six scoreless innings the rest of the way.
Henrichs picked up the win, pitching the 12th and 13th innings — setting down the Hawks in order in the bottom of the 13th after Garber doubled in redshirt-freshman Aaron Barratt, who walked with one out and advanced to second on an infield single by Johnson.
Northwest (13-13, 9-7 MIAA) returns to conference play at 4 p.m. Friday to open a four-game series against Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas. Saturday’s double-header will start at 1 p.m. followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
