ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College baseball team (10-10, 2-2 GPAC) completes the season sweep of the Hastings Broncos (4-14, 0-2 GPAC) with a doubleheader sweep to open up the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) slate at the Baseball Diamond in Orange City.
Freshman southpaw Drew Dykstra (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) notches 6.0 strong innings in the second game this afternoon, giving up just three Bronco hits and striking out three hitters.
GAME 1: Northwestern 5, Hastings 3
Northwestern would use the final three innings to rally past Hastings in the opening game of the day, scoring all five runs in the fourth inning on in the seven-inning contest.
“It was really fun to come back an win today!” said head coach Brian Wede. “Mo (Watson) had a huge hit to get us the lead and our bullpen was lights out.”
Hastings came out swinging early, as Tyler Welsh gave the Broncos the early 2-0 lead with a 2-run home run in the second inning. Hastings would tack one more run on in the fourth to extend their lead to 3-0.
The Raiders would crack the scoreboard for the first time in the home half of the fourth inning. Sam Stanford (So., Los Angeles, Calif./Pacifica Christian) arted the frame with a walk, and would advance to second on a ground out. Colby Shelton (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) would rope a double down the right field line that would bring Stanford home to cut deficit to 3-1.
In the fifth inning, Jaden Snyder (Jr., Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon) would drive in Mason Porepp (So., Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk) as Northwestern trimmed the lead to 3-2.
The sixth inning is when the offense came to life. Eli Rash (So., Lake Lotawana, Mo./Summit Christian Academy) started the inning with a single up the middle, while Shelton would draw a walk. A passed ball would put Raiders on second and third with no one out. Evan Olesen (So., Estherville, Iowa/Estherville Lincoln Central) would grab a bat in a pinch hit at-bat, as he would fly out down in the Raider bullpen but it would be deep enough to bring Rash home and tie the game at 3-3.
In another pinch hit at-bat, Mo Watson (So., Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) would be the hero, belting his first home run of the season as it would give the Raiders the 5-3 lead, which would be enough to pick up their first GPAC win of the season.
Six different Raiders recorded hits in the game, led by Porepp who went a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored. Both Porepp and Shelton had doubles on the day, and Porepp also stole second once.
Dylan Kirkeby (So., Brandon, S.D./Brandon Valley) took the hill today for the Raiders, going 5.1 innings. He surrendered five Bronco hits and gave up three runs, but fanned seven in his outing. The sophomore is now tied for the team lead with 28 strike outs on the season.
Ryan Reynolds (Jr., Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) entered in relief in the sixth inning and was on the mound when the Raiders erupted for their 3-run sixth inning, and tallied his first win of the season (1-1). Colton Schuchart (Fr., Jourdanton, Texas/Jourdanton) shut the door in the seventh, striking out two of the three hitters he faced to pick up his second save of the season.
GAME 2: Northwestern 4, Hastings 0
In the nine-inning second game of the doubleheader, Dykstra was phenomenal as the Raider pitching staff would throw their second shutout of the season – both against Hastings. Northwestern would score all four of their runs in just two innings, but it was all the pitching staff would need.
“We were able to limit them to three hits and three walks in nine innings, and Tanner (Schouten) scored a couple of early runs to get us a lead,” said Wede. “Again, the bullpen was lights out with six strike outs in the final three innings.”
Dykstra worked out of an early jam in the second inning, leaving runners stranded on second and third to keep the Broncos off the board, with a big strike out swinging to end the frame. In the third inning, the freshman helped himself in the second game, offensively, as he drove in what proved to be the game-winning run in the third inning on an RBI ground out. Tanner Schouten (Fr., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) would come across to score making it 1-0 Raiders.
The fifth inning saw Northwestern plate three insurance runs, extending the lead to 4-0 and the pitching staff would take it from there. Schouten would single to start the inning and a double down the right field line from Dykstra would set the Raiders up at second and third with one away. An RBI ground out from Rash would score one. Later in the inning, a right center double from Stanford would plate the final two runs of the inning making it 4-0 Northwestern.
Stanford ended game two going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Schouten would also finish the day 2-for-4 with two hits, he also scored two runs and had one stolen base.
Between the two relief pitchers in the seventh and eighth innings, the Raider pitching staff recorded four straight strike outs. Three Raiders would throw the final three innings, combining for six strike outs and no Hastings hits, as the bullpen slammed the door shut on any late-inning magic.
