ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College baseball team (18-25, 10-16 GPAC) swept the first day of the four-game set against arch-rival Dordt University (12-30, 8-18 GPAC) behind six home runs on the day. Jaden Snyder and Drew Dykstra both had multi-home run games in the victories, as the Raiders erupted for 19 hits in the two games. Brett Shelton and Brady Roberts dominated on the mound.
GAME 1: Northwestern 11, Dordt 5
Northwestern took advantage of Dordt defensive miscues, as three runs were scored on wild pitches in the series opener. The Raiders notched six extra base hits in the game, totaling half of their hits.
Dordt struck first in Game 1, thanks to three singles in the opening frame, to take the 1-0 lead. Brett Shelton (So., Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) would settle in and only scatter four hits the rest of the game.
Northwestern responded with two runs in the bottom half of the first, thanks to a solo shot from Mo Watson (So., Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) to lead off the inning to tie the game at 1-1. Sam Stanford (So., Los Angeles, Calif./Pacifica Christian) would rope a triple in to the right centerfield gap, and would later score on a wild pitch to give Northwestern the lead they would never surrender (2-1).
The second inning was more of the same, this time Jaden Snyder (Jr., Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon) went yard for the first time. Tanner Schouten (Fr., Orange City, Iowa/Unity Christian) would score on a wild pitch later in the frame.
In the third, Snyder would go deep yet again with a 3-run shot, giving the Raiders a 7-1 lead.
Dordt would chip into the Northwestern lead in the fourth and fifth innings, as three long balls cut the lead to 7-5.
Northwestern would score four unanswered after Dordt’s four, to take the game 11-5. A Mason Porepp (So., Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk) RBI single, and an Eli Rash (So., Lake Lotawana, Mo./Summit Christian Academy) RBI double aided the effort.
GAME 2: Northwestern 5, Dordt 3
Game 2 proved to be a little quieter on the scoring front, as both pitchers had quality outings. Again, Northwestern would belt three home runs in the contest as Drew Dykstra (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) went deep twice in the contest.
The first three innings were relatively quiet, but Northwestern got to the Dordt starter in the second thanks to Snyder’s third home run of the day, taking the 1-0 and they would again not look back.
Dykstra’s first home run, and later, an RBI single from Evan Olesen (So., Estherville, Iowa/Estherville Lincoln Central) extended the Raider lead to 3-0.
Dordt got on the board in the fifth with a two-run blast from Logan Cline, to draw within one (3-2). Yet again, the Raiders would respond and it would be Dykstra giving Northwestern the two run lead in the bottom half with another solo shot (4-2).
The two teams would trade runs in the sixth, as Olesen notched another RBI single for a huge insurance run with an RBI single to right center. Dordt would get a runner to second in the seventh, but Northwestern would prevail 5-3 to sweep the day.
The Raiders and Defenders conclude their four-game set Friday from the Baseball Diamond in Orange City with first pitch slated for 2:00 p.m. Stay tuned to nwcraiders.com should the weather play a role tomorrow.
