Alec Rickabaugh pitched six innings and
Colton Harold drove in three runs in leading Northwestern to an 11-6 game one win over Columbia earlier today. The Red Raiders dropped game two 6-2 and are now 2-2 on the season.
Rickabaugh (1-0) scattered nine hits and allowed four earned runs in six innings of work in his season debut.
Ryan Reynolds pitched the seventh inning for Coach Wede's squad.Â
Harold paced the Red Raiders 10-hit attack, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the top of the first inning. Both Ben DeBoer and
Drew Schutt slammed two hits each and
Britton Yoder went 1-for-3, scored two runs and totaled one RBI.Â
Northwestern scored three in the top of the first inning, two via Harold's two-run double and one off a Cougars error. Columbia came back with a run in the bottom of the first and tied the game at three with a pair of runs in the fifth.
The Red Raiders went ahead for good, plating three runs on three hits and a Columbia error. Schutt led the inning off with a single and came around to score off a misplayed bunt put down by Yoder.
Zachary Rosson followed with an RBI single, scoring Yoder, and
Alex Fuhs, pinch running for Rosson, came around to score after a single by Harold.Â
Northwestern put the game away with five runs in the seventh inning, led by
Josh Fakkema who hit a two-run double.
A.J. Nitzschke drew a bases loaded walk, leading to another run, and DeBoer added an RBI single.Â
Columbia totaled 11 hits, three by both Ethan Howser and Kenny Piper. Derek Sallee, one of five Cougars pitchers, took the loss, giving up three runs in two innings of relief.Â
The Red Raiders managed just four hits in their 6-2 game two loss, falling to 2-2 on the season. Northwestern scored a run in the sixth and seventh innings and
Austin Zylstra went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Nitzschke and Harold had one hit each.Â
Luke Hughes (0-1) took the loss, giving up five hits and four earned runs in three innings.
Andrew Mescher pitched the final three innings, allowing one hit and one run.Â
