Baseball Sweeps Northwestern Behind Ninth Inning Home Runs
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northwestern | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
|
Doane (NE) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | X | 15 | 12 | 4 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 0 |
|
Doane (NE) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
Doane Baseball kept the magic alive at home on Friday afternoon in a doubleheader sweep of Northwestern. The Tigers won the opener, 15-4, before a rally late to pick up a walk-off victory, 9-8.
In game one, Northwestern scored twice in the first inning only to have Doane answer with three runs in the bottom of the frame on a bases-clearing double by Luke LaChance. The Tiger took the lead in the third inning behind a two-run home run from Nate Mensik.
Joe Osborn and Lukas White hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning as part of a five-run frame. Northwestern scored twice in the sixth with Doane responding with four runs for the final runs of the game. LaChance had a two-run single in the inning.
Aaron Forrest picked up the win as he threw 5.0 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out three. Jake King threw 2.0 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out four.
White finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and one RBI. Mensik was 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. LaChance was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and five RBI.
In the second game, Doane was the first to score with a two-run single by Brett Meyer in the second inning. Northwestern came back with five runs in the third inning to take the lead. The Tigers cut into the deficit in the bottom of the frame with a run on an Osborn single.
Doane pulled within a run in the fourth inning, 5-4, with an RBI-single from Logan Amick. The Red Raiders came back with a single run in the sixth and eighth innings to take a 7-4 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Meyer had a two-run single to pull Doane within a run and Jack Tillman had a pinch hit double to plate Meyer from first base to tie the game.
Northwestern regained the lead in the ninth inning with a run scoring triple. The Red Raiders tried a squeeze bunt to add to their lead but Tillman, now catching, picked up the bunt and was able to reach back and apply the tag to prevent a run from scoring.
Osborn led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run to straight away centerfield to tie the game. With one out, Mensik was down two strikes before delivering a walk-off home run for the Tigers. It was Doane's first walk-off home run since 2012 when Anthony Dunn hit a two-run blast against Dordt.
Kyler Beekman picked up the win in relief. He threw 1.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with a strikeout. Julian Vargas started on short rest and went 5.0 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three. Jake Johnson threw 2.0 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out three.
Mensik was 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and one RBI. Meyer was 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBI. Amick, Osborn, and Justin Nevells also had two-hit games.
Next up for the Tigers is a doubleheader against Dordt on Saturday, April 22, at 1:00 PM. The games will be in Crete with Dordt as the home team on the scoreboard.