Baseball Wins Two Against Lopes

Apr. 2, 2019, Sterling, Colo. — After a change in venue, the Plainsmen baseball team played the Lamar Lopes in another Region IX series in Lamar, Colo. The Lopes were sitting ahead of the Plainsmen in Region IX standings, so winning against Lamar could put Northeastern ahead of them. 

In the first game, Northeastern had trouble keeping up with Lamar on Sunday. The Plainsmen were shutout in the 11-0 loss with Tanner Schoeninger taking the loss on the mound. The men struggled at the plate by only accumulating three hits with Andrew Paige II, Carter Allen, and Davyn Adamscheck each managing to get one. 

The second game was much different as the Plainsmen regrouped for their second game of the double-header. The scheduled seven-inning game went into extra innings after it was tied 6-6 with a late three-run push by Lamar. The eighth inning had no runs scored by either team, but Northeastern got on a roll in the next inning. In the top of the ninth, Adamscheck reached first on an error by the shortstop. He advanced to second on a sacrifice by Paige II. Lamar committed another error on Ben Newtons's at-bat, scoring Adamscheck. Jaxon Rosencranz scored Newton on a double, and then was able to cross home on a single by Sean Kelsen. Those three runs were the final of the game and the Plainsmen won 9-6. Cole Halpin started the game and lasted six inning, but Juan Esparza pitched Northeastern to victory. He lasted two innings, allowing zero hits and zero runs while striking out three and walking zero. Cameron Spaeth threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen. Esparza recorded the last six outs to earn the save for the Plainsmen. 

With the series now tied 1-1, the Plainsmen needed game three to overtake the Lopes in standings. Jaxon Rosencranz had himself a game by driving in six runs off two hits. The game started good for Northeastern as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning. They continued to add runs and hold of the Lopes until the bottom of five when Lamar scored two, making it a 9-2 ballgame. Those were the only runs Lamar scored and the Plainsmen went on to win 11-2. Praxie Vigil earned the victory on the hill for Northeastern. He surrendered zero runs on two hits over three innings, striking out two. Jordan Chappell threw four innings in relief out of the bullpen. 

The Plainsmen will be on the road Thursday, Apr. 4 as they travel to Scottsbluff, Neb. to play against the Western Nebraska Cougars.