Josh Fakkema belted a two-out, two-run walkoff home run to beat Dordt 6-5 in game two of a conference doubleheader played tonight under the lights at the Northwestern Baseball Complex. The Red Raiders also won game one 10-5, setting a single game record with six home runs, to complete the sweep.
Northwestern moves to .500 in the conference at 9-9, 15-19 overall. Dordt stumbles to 2-16 in league play, 5-20 overall.
Trailing 5-4 and with Shad Wacker, who was running for
Colton Harold at second with two outs, Fakkema drove a 1-0 pitch from Jadon Vander Molen (0-3) over the centerfield fence for his first career home run and a walkoff win.
Sutton Derr (1-0) picked up the win in relief, pitching the final 1.1 innings without giving up a run.
Luke Hughes pitched the first 5.2 innings, giving up seven hits and three earns for the no-decision.
Britton Yoder,
Drew Schutt and Harold paced the Red Raider offense with two hits each. Fakkema drove in three and six different players scored one run.
With Dordt in front 2-1, Head Coach
Brian Wede's squad scored three in the home half of the third inning to take a 4-2 lead. Harold drew a bases loaded walk, Fakkema drove in a run off a fielders choice and Yoder hit an RBI single in the three-run inning.
The score stayed 4-2 until Dordt plated three runs in the top of the sixth off Hughes. Cam Pfafman led off with a single and scored on a two-run home run by Andrew Pullar. Later in the inning, Austin Pullar put the Defenders in front with a two-out single that scored Jason Holwerda, who had reached base after a NW error.
Vander Molen, the final of three Dordt pitchers, took the loss, giving up five hits and two runs while striking out three in 3.1 innings.
Northwestern belted a school-record six home runs, one in each inning, for a 10-5 game one win. Both Harold and
A.J. Nitzschke hit a pair of home runs while Schutt and Zylstra had one each. The previous record of five was accomplished twice (2002 vs Concordia, 2009 vs Tabor).
Wede's squad opened up a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the fourth, scoring one run in each of the first three innings on solo home runs by Schutt, Nitzschke and Zylstra. Dordt broke through with five runs in the fourth, all off Red Raider starter
Ben Zeutenhorst. Chris Schrieber had the big hit, a grand slam over the left field fence with one out.
The Red Raiders came back three runs in the home half, all scored on a three-run shot by Harold, his sixth home run of the season. Nitzschke added a two-run shot, his fifth of the season, for two big insurance runs in the sixth.
Evan Olesen (1-2) earned his first collegiate win, pitching 3.1 no-hit innings in relief. The freshman walked two and struck out three.
Dordt totaled eight hits, led by Schrieber and Steve Tiersma with two each. Lucas Nelson (0-2) allowed eight hits and six runs and took the loss.
