MARYVILLE, Missouri - The visiting Northeastern State RiverHawks posted a 9-4 victory on Sunday to take a three-game series against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat baseball team.
Following a scoreless first at Bearcat Field, Northeastern St. jumped on the scoreboard first in the top of the second, scoring three runs and taking an early 3-0 advantage.
The Northwest offense answered with two runs of its own in the home half of the inning. Junior Donovan Warren began the two-out rally by drawing a walk. Warren kept NSU starter Lee Callison off balance as he advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a pickoff attempt from Callison that sailed into center. Senior Tim Olson drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Junior Jacob Pinkerton was hit by a pitch for the second time in two innings to load the bases. Redshirt freshman Caden Diel came through with a two-RBI single to right-center that scored both Warren and Olson. Peter Carlson drew a walk to reload the bases but Connor Quick hit into a groundout at second to end the inning.
The Bearcats evened the score in the fifth while also chasing Callison from the game. Carlson led off the inning by connecting with a double to left-center. Quick flew out deep enough to center to advance Carlson to third. Junior Matt Gastner greeted NSU reliever Colt Browne with an RBI single to left-center to even the score at 3-3.
Northwest starter Quintin Van Ackeren worked six innings and gave up five hits. NSU could only muster three runs against Ackeren, who was relieved by Daniel Smith to begin the sixth.
The RiverHawks dinged Smith for three hits and three runs in a third of an inning. Aaron Duncan came in with one out in the sixth and got the final two outs on a sacrifice fly and a flyout to right.
Northeastern State added three more insurance runs in the ninth, two of which came via a two-run homer from Collin Klingensmith off Northwest's Zach Shadlow.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Diel stepped up to the plate and blasted a solo homer to right-center field to give the Bearcats their final run of the game. Quick launched a two-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch but was stranded when Gastner struck out to end it.
The Bearcats will hit the road and be back in action March 6-8 as they take on Emporia State in a three-game series in Emporia, Kansas.
NOTES: Three Bearcats notched multi-hit outings (Jacob Pinketon, Diel, Quick, Diel tallied game-high three RBI, Quick extended his team-best 17-game on-base streak, Pinkerton and Quick extended team-high seven game hitting streaks.
--- Northwest Athletics ---