FULTON, MO. – Nebraska Wesleyan got the 2017 baseball season started on a good note by winning a three game series at Westminster College over the weekend in Fulton, Mo. The Prairie Wolves and Bluejays split games on Saturday, then NWU took the rubber match on Sunday afternoon.
NWU won the opening game 6-3 on Saturday then dropped the second game of the doubleheader, 4-2. On Sunday they earned a 6-4 victory to complete the series win and start the year 2-1 overall.
In game one on Saturday, the Prairie Wolves rallied back to score four runs in the top of the 7
th inning to get the win. Trailing 3-2 heading into their last chance at the plate, NWU responded with six hits to score four runs. Three straight singles loaded the bases, then
Jared Scdoris got a 2-run double to put NWU ahead by one run. The Wolves then scored on a passed ball and a Westminster error to extend the lead to four runs.
Westminster led off the 7
th with a single, but three straight outs including a strikeout to end the game sealed the victory.
NWU scored two runs in the 1
st inning as Scdoris had an RBI single and
David Morris got an infield hit to drive in a run.
Starting pitcher
Jesse Maguire went the distance to earn his first win in a NWU uniform. He allowed three earned runs in seven innings with four strikeouts, two walks and seven hits allowed.
Scdoris,
Aaron Ochsner,
Cole Schumacher and
Brook Johnson each had two hits in the win.
The Bluejays got the 4-2 win in the second game of the day as they took advantage of three Prairie Wolves errors. NWU was held without a run until the 7
th inning as WU led 4-0.
Spencer Scheer hit a solo HR to lead off the 7
th and get NWU on the board. They added one more run in the 9
th on a pinch hit single by
Kyle Hunter but it was not enough.
Brody Murphy took the loss for NWU allowing four runs, all unearned in five innings of work. Murphy struck out eight, but walked five and gave up just three hits.
On Sunday, the Prairie Wolves got a hard fought 6-4 win to close out the series. NWU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the 2
nd when
Nick Bruno blasted a 3-run HR to spark the Prairie Wolves offense.
Westminster got on the board in the 4
th, but NWU went ahead 4-1 with another run in the 5
th inning. Hunter doubled then scored on a Bluejays error. NWU scored runs in the 7
th and 8
th inning for a 6-3 lead. Westminster scored one run in the bottom of the 9
th, but that was all they could get as NWU held on for the win.
The Prairie Wolves were outhit 12-6 on Sunday, but Westminster committed three errors. Six different players recorded a hit for NWU.
Austin Ragland got the pitching victory going 6.0 innings allowing two earned runs on eight hits.
Dalton Hinrichs recorded the final three outs to earn the save.
NWU is back in action on March 1 for a single 9-inning game at Bethany in Kansas.
