KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The season came to an end for the No. 12-ranked Northwestern Red Raiders (47-10, 18-4 GPAC) following losses to No. 1 Oregon Tech (49-7, 29-1 CCC) and Saint Xavier (Ill.) (36-13, 17-3 CCAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Opening Round.
GAME 1: OIT 10, NWC 2
Top-ranked Oregon Tech withstood an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Northwestern in the first game of bracket play on Tuesday, scoring 10 unanswered runs to advance to the Opening Round final.
Northwestern was first to get on the board as Charli Bomgaars (So., Boyden, Iowa) led off the third inning with a walk and was driven in on the next at-bat with an RBI double to the gap by Gwen Mikkelsen (Jr., Casa Grande, Ariz.), her 59th RBI of the season. After a sac bunt by Madysn Grotewold (Jr., Larchwood, Iowa) advanced Mikkelsen to third, Kameryn Etherington (Jr., Algona, Iowa) laid down a perfectly placed squeeze bunt on the first base line to record an RBI single and give the Raiders a 2-0 advantage.
The Owls took the lead in the next half inning, loaded the bases and then bringing three runs home on a double by Lexi Klum. Klum then advanced home on a throwing error on the next play to give Oregon Tech a 4-2 lead.
Oregon Tech extended their lead in the fourth, scoring a run after the leadoff hitter reached on a fielding error, and then a two-run home run by Kaila Mick over the right field fence made the score 7-2.
After Oregon Tech added three runs over the next two innings, the game ended 10-2 in the sixth.
Game Notes
Gwen Mikkelsen and Kameryn Etherington both had RBIs and went 1-3.
Charli Bomgaars drew a walk and scored a run.
Madysn Grotewold recorded a bunt single and a sacrifice bunt.
GAME 2: SXU 10, NWC 2
Jumping on scoring opportunities in the early innings, Saint Xavier put an end to Northwestern’s season in the NAIA Opening Round on Tuesday evening.
The first inning started with a pair of runs for Saint Xavier, as the No. 4-seeded Cougars used a two-RBI base hit from Morgan Haefling to take a 2-0 lead.
Northwestern answered with a run of its own in the top of the third, as a bunt single from Madysn Grotewold (Jr., Larchwood, Iowa) moved Cassidy Gors (Fr., Tea, S.D.) to third base, who then scored on an error on the throw to first.
The Cougars added on to their lead in the bottom of the fourth, first scoring a run on a close play at the plate and then adding two more on a two-RBI double by Nicole Lovato.
Jennifer Boeve (Sr., Hastings, Neb.) helped produce a run in the sixth as she hit a one-out double and Jewel Bergstrom (Fr., Boyden, Iowa) scored on a wild pitch as Boeve’s pinch runner.
The Cougars added another three runs in the sixth, ending the game at a score of 10-2.
Game Notes
Northwestern ends the season with their most wins in program history (47).
Kameryn Etherington drew two walks at the plate and struck out three batters in the circle.
Jennifer Boeve hit a double and had a sacrifice bunt.
Ashtyn Billings went 1-2 with a walk.
