CARDIAC CATS WALK-OFF WIN IN TEN
BEATS PERU STATE 8-7
Northwest defeated Peru State with a thrilling 10-inning walk-off game that lasted nearly three hours on Tuesday afternoon at Bearcat baseball field on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University. The weather was in the 70s, clear, and calm, which was a perfect setting for an exciting game. The Cardiac Cats deserve their name with so many late game or extra inning victories. Several Bearcats are responsible for the win - Freshman Kevin Handzlik had the game winning hit in the Bottom of the 10th inning; Carson Smith picked-up the win and had 2.1 innings of clutch pitching without allowing a run; Austin Wulff, Garrett Fort, and Nick Gotta were hitting the ball hard and getting on base nearly every time. With so many heroes, this was most certainly a team win. With the win, Northwest's 2015 record climbs to 16-15. With the loss, Peru State falls to 21-8.
Pitching, Northwest used 9 pitchers in the game. Carson Smith was the most valuable pitcher and picked-up the win for his efforts. Carson's 2015 record now stands at 3-0 with a 0.76 ERA in 23.2 innings of work. Against Peru State, Carson worked 2.1 innings, allowed 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. Joseph Hietpas earned the start in the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. Brad Roberts came into the game in the 2nd inning and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 2 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. In the 3rd inning, Jimmy McElwain came into the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 3 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. In the 4th inning, Austin Battaglia came into the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit 1 batter. In the 5th inning, Alex Cross came into the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 3 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. In the 6th inning, Patrick Brady came into the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. In the 7th inning, Jacob Wagner came into the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. In the 8th inning, Luke Wilkinson came into the game and worked 0.2 of an inning. Luke allowed 4 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 0 walks, 1 strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter. With 2 outs in the 8th inning, Carson Smith came into the game to close it out.
Defensively, Northwest committed 3 errors and turned 3 double-plays.
Offensively, Nick Gotta and Austin Wulff were the most valuable players for the Bearcats in the game. Nick Gotta went 2 for 3 (including a triple) with 3 RBIs, a run scored, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt. Austin Wulff went 3 for 4 with 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 1 walk. Steven Garber went 1 for 4 (a double) with 1 RBI, 1 run scored, and 1 walk. Paul Johnson went 1 for 4 with a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. Kevin Handzlik had the bit hit of the game to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Garrett Fort went 1 for 2 with 1 RBI, 1 run scored, and 2 walks. In total, Northwest scored 8 runs off of 9 hits, 8 RBIs, 8 walks, 3 strike-outs, and left 6 runners on base.
Next up for the Bearcats - There will be little rest for the Bearcats as they will face Lindenwood on Thursday, April 2, 2015, and play a critical 4-game series in Maryville. Northwest is just ahead of Lindenwood in the MIAA standings. Lindenwood is on the outside looking in for a MIAA post-season play-off berth. Northwest is in a 3-way tie for the last play-off spot. This series will most certainly be an epic clash between two clubs fighting for their post-season lives. The Bearcat baseball field is where it is all at this week. The series starts with a single 9-inning game on April 2nd with first pitch at 2pm. Then, there will be a double-header on Friday, April 3, 2015, with first pitch at 1pm. The series will conclude on Saturday, April 4th with a single 9-inning game. First pitch for the April 4th game will be at Noon. The games were moved one day in observance of Holy Easter on Sunday, April 5, 2015.
Go Cats!!
###
No comments:
Post a Comment