LINCOLN, Neb. — Freshman second baseman Jaxon Volkmer (Lincoln) homered to lead off the third inning and finished with three RBIs, and senior designated hitter Charlie Mosser (Lincoln) added a solo shot in the second as well, to lead Nebraska Wesleyan University to an 8-6 American Rivers Conference home baseball win over Buena Vista University on Tuesday evening at Championship Stadium at Sandhills Global Youth Complex.
Junior right-hander Owen Duckworth got the start on the mound and earned a no-decision going 6.2 innings, giving up five hits, two earned runs, and two strikeouts. Brady Bell (Lincoln) came in relief on the mound and earned his first pitching win of the season for the host Prairie Wolves, while senior right-hander Tyler Spreitzer (Omaha) struck out the side in order in the ninth inning to earn his second save of the season and fourth of his collegiate career. NWU improved to 12-22 overall, including 7-11 in the A-R-C, while Buena Vista dropped to 9-26 overall, including 5-16 in the A-R-C.
NWU scored eight runs on eight hits with one error … scoring one run in the second inning, three runs in the third inning and four runs in the eighth. Buena Vista scored six runs on seven hits with one error … scoring one run each in the third and sixth innings and four runs in the eighth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
With two outs in the bottom of the second, Mosser stepped to the plate and crushed a solo home run, his second of the season, to left field to give the Prairie Wolves an early 1-0 lead. Buena Vista answered in the top of the third when Kaleb Kuhl led off with a solo shot of his own to tie it at 1-1, but NWU responded immediately. Volkmer led off the bottom of the third with a home run to left, also his second of the season, to put NWU back ahead, 2-1. Cohle Sherman reached on a hit by pitch and scored on an RBI triple to center field by Duncan Ortega, who later came home on a groundout by Easton Johnson to push the lead to 4-1.
Duckworth cruised through most of the contest before being lifted with two outs in the seventh. Ryan Johnson came on in relief and worked into the eighth before Bell took over on the mound. Buena Vista rallied in the eighth, stringing together a double by Grant Preuss, an RBI single by Kaleb Kuhl and a two-run fielder's choice by Benjamin Byington, aided by a throwing error and a wild pitch, to score four runs and take the lead, 6-4.
NWU had answered in the bottom of the eighth with four runs of its own. Gavin Crogg led off with a double to right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a pitching change, pinch hitter Rudy Gres IV and Sam Schaefer drew walks to load the bases, and Volkmer delivered a two-run single to center to plate two. Cohle Sherman then reached on a sacrifice bunt and an error as Schaefer scored, before Volkmer crossed the plate on a groundout by Duncan Ortega for an 8-6 cushion.
With the lead intact, Spreitzer needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in order in the ninth, all three on strikeouts, to close it out.
UP NEXT
NWU will play its second-to-last conference series at home against Coe College starting Friday (April 24) at 6 p.m. in Lincoln.
