Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University took the diamond at Moller Field on Saturday as they hosted Northwestern College for a doubleheader within the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Warriors ended a seven-game losing streak, their longest since 2012, with a sweep of the Raiders. They won 4-1 in game one and 3-0 in game two to improve to 20-10 on the season and 7-7 in the conference.
GAME ONE: Midland 4, Northwestern 1
The Warriors jumped out early with a run in the 1st, two in the 2nd, and another in the 3rd to lead 4-0 through the early stages of the opener.
In the opening inning, Beau Boyle led off with a double down the left-field line and then after stealing third, was driven in by Dakota Thornton via a sacrifice fly.
The 2nd inning saw Connor Petersen lead off with a single through the right side. After advancing to second on a groundout, he scored with Trey Nichols reaching on an error by the Raiders’ pitcher. Kyle Weber came on as a runner for Nichols and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. With two outs, Trey Rodriguez drove Weber in on a single to center-field.
Boyle got things going again in the 3rd as he hit another double and then stole third base. Chase Reynolds brought him as he reached on an error by the Raiders.
Leading 4-0, Midland surrendered a run to Northwestern in the top of the 4th as they had a pair of timely hits to get rid of their goose egg on the scoreboard.
Jay Lambert went 6.0 inning on the mound for Midland, allowing the lone earned run while striking out two batters. Keegan Adams came on in the 7th to seal the win, picking up his seventh save.
Statistical Standouts
- Beau Boyle: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 SB
- Trey Rodriguez: 1-for-2, RBI
- Jay Lambert: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2K
- Keegan Adams: 1.0 IP, 1 K, SAVE
GAME TWO: Midland 3, Northwestern 0
In the second game of the day, Midland had to chip away at the Northwestern pitching staff and defense. Matt Ross took advantage of an early mistake by the Raiders’ starter. With two outs in the 2nd inning, he took a 1-1 fastball over the left-field fence to put the Warriors up 1-0.
Three innings later, Trey Rodriguez and Beau Boyle started the Midland half of the 5th inning with back-to-back singles. Chase Reynolds laid down a sacrifice bunt to move them into scoring position and then Dakota Thornton hit a sac fly to center field, allowing Rodriguez to score.
With a slim 2-0 lead, the Warriors registered an insurance run in the 8th. Thornton was beaned to lead off the inning and after a groundout moved him to second, Connor Petersen drove him in with a double to left.
In the 9th, Keegan Adams came on to get the save, relieving Lucas Hamzeh who went 8.0 innings. Hamzeh had one of his best outings of the season with 12 strikeouts and just three hits allowed. After issuing a pair of walks and a hit to load the bases, Adams settled in and closed the door on the Raiders for his eighth save of the season.
Statistical Standouts
- Matt Ross: 1-for-3, RBI, HR
- Dakota Thornton: 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2B
- Beau Boyle: 2-for-4, 2B
- Lucas Hamzeh: 8.0 IP, 12 K, 3 H, 0 R
Midland (20-10, 7-7 GPAC) will travel to Orange City, Iowa on Monday as they complete their season series with Northwestern (13-17, 5-9 GPAC). The doubleheader, which was rescheduled from last Friday, will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the NWC Baseball Diamond.
