ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris baseball team picked up what could prove to be two very important UMAC victories on Wednesday, taking down the University of Northwestern in a doubleheader by scores of 6-3 and 3-2. The two wins improve the Cougars to 7-10 (2-1 UMAC) on the season.

Minnesota Morris returns home this weekend to host its home-opening series at Chizek Field against Northland College. The first game of the three-game set is Friday at 3 p.m.

Game 1: Minnesota Morris 6, Northwestern 3
Three-run innings from the Cougars in the third and eighth were enough to outlast Northwestern in the first game of the day. Parker Gilchrist (2-0) pitched into the eighth and Brady Kenning picked up the first of what would be two saves from him on the day by throwing the final 1.1 innings.

After going down a run on a RBI groundout in the bottom of the first inning, Minnesota Morris took the lead in the top of the third. With Landen Meyerdirk and Blake Imhoff in scoring position, a passed ball brought a run home and tied the game up at 1-1. Ashton Pauly then singled up the middle to score Imhoff and later raced home himself on a second passed ball in the inning to make it 3-1.

An error from Gilchrist allowed a run to score in the bottom of the fourth, bringing the Eagles to within a run, but the score remained 3-2 in favor of Minnesota Morris throughout the middle innings of the contest as both pitchers settled in. 

With the top of the order leading off in the eighth, Pauly doubled before being forced out on the bases. With James Nelson aboard and two down, Ethan Schmitz kept the inning going with a double to left. Ty Beasley followed with a double of his own, driving in both runners to make it 5-2. Ryan McGie capped the inning with a triple to center to tack on an insurance run.

Northwestern got to Gilchrist for one more unearned run in the bottom of the eighth and the Cougar starting pitcher exited with two down and the bases loaded. Kenning managed the high-leverage situation by inducing a popup to the shortstop to end the threat. The Eagles then had the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth retired before they eventually brought the tying run to the plate. A flyout to right field by Bryce Crabb finished things off and gave the Cougars the victory.

Game 2: Minnesota Morris 3, Northwestern 2
Minnesota Morris put some early runs on the board in game two and Josh Osten (2-2) and Kenning (S, 2) combined to do the rest.

A Beasley walk to start the second inning was cashed in by McGie with a two-run homer to left to put UMN Morris on top early. In the third inning, Ben Meuser worked a two-out walk, took second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Schmitz RBI single to put the Cougars ahead, 3-0.

Osten cruised much of the way through his 8.0 innings of work. Northwestern only had one runner reach scoring position in the first six innings and Minnesota Morris had a pair of double plays in that stretch as well. Northwestern was able to plate a run in the seventh, but Osten worked through that trouble to keep it 3-1 and then stranded two Eagle runners in the eighth. 

On in relief, Kenning allowed a lead-off homer to Mark Bligh in the bottom of the ninth that made it 3-2. With two outs and a runner on first, Alex Goedhard played the hero at the end by firing down to second to get Bryce Campbell on an attempted steal and recording the final out.