ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College baseball team (20-25, 12-16 GPAC) picks up their 20th win of the season behind stout pitching and big innings offensively to complete the four-game sweep over rival Dordt University (12-32, 8-20 GPAC) at the Baseball Diamond. Michael Zeigler homered for the first time in his Red Raider career, and Isaac Thurm blasted his second long ball of the season on Senior Day.
The Raider pitching staff punched out 29 Dordt hitters in the two games today, while freshman southpaw Drew Dykstra (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) set a new career-high with nine strike outs in his 5.0 innings of work in Game 2.
Northwestern has now won seven-straight games in the series with Dordt, including eight-straight at the Baseball Diamond in Orange City. The all-time series record improves to 124-47 in favor of Northwestern.
The Raiders played flawless baseball in Game 1 for the eighth time this season.
GAME 1: Northwestern 6, Dordt 5
Dordt struck first in Game 3 of the series thanks to a 2 RBI double from Kaden Davis to open the scoring, as Dordt took the early 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Northwestern would respond immediately in the bottom half of the frame with four runs of their own, taking the 4-2 lead. Evan Olesen (So., Estherville, Iowa/Estherville Lincoln Central) drove in the second Raider run to tie the game with a single through the right side. Mo Watson (So., Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) would then go deep for the second time in as many days.
After a quiet couple of frames, Dordt would strike again with a three-spot to take the 5-4 lead, and it would prove to be their last lead of the day.
Working with their final six outs, the Raiders did not disappoint the home fans pushing across two runs in the bottom half of the sixth to win the series. Eli Rash (So., Lake Lotawana, Mo./Summit Christian Academy) drove in the tying run with the bases loaded with a single to short. What proved to be the game-winning run would cross the plate via a wild pitch as the Raiders took Game 3, 6-5.
GAME 2: Northwestern 13, Dordt 3 (F/7)
Northwestern wasted no time getting on the board in Game 4, plating three runs in the opening frame. The innings was highlighted by an Olesen double down the left field line. In the second, Mason Porepp (So., Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk) singled to third, scoring Watson, as Porepp beat the throw to first. Northwestern led 4-0 after two full.
In the fourth inning, Michael Zeigler (Jr., San Antonio, Texas/Antonian College Prep) joined the home run party with his first career home run to left field, extending the Raider lead to 6-1.
Dordt would tack on two more runs in the sixth inning, but in the bottom half the Raiders would plate six to take a commanding 12-3 lead. The inning was highlighted by two big flys from Watson (5th) and Isaac Thurm (Sr., Humboldt, Iowa/Humboldt) (2nd).
The game would come to a run-rule finish in the seventh. After a Watson single, Porepp would double into the left centerfield gap and Watson would come all the way around to score to end the game, as Northwestern prevailed 13-3.
With the sweep against Dordt yesterday, Northwestern secured a bid to the 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) conference tournament next week. Their seed and pod location are yet to be fully determined, more information to come in the coming days.
