The Red Raider baseball team had a long and eventful Friday and Saturday. On April 15, the Raiders (16-20, GPAC 1-12) had a double header against conference team Dakota Wesleyan (13-21, GPAC 7-14), where they competed at home in Orange City. The following day, they then traveled up to Mitchell, S.D. where they again played another double header on the road against the Tigers. After the two double-headers, Northwestern walked away with a single win.
Game one, the Raiders had their single win (6-4), sophomore Brett Shelton picked up the win for the Raiders pitching. Freshman Drew Dysktra belted his second home run of the campaign to right field, driving in three runs to give NW the early lead 3-0. Sophomore Evan Olesen would later single in the inning, driving in the fourth Raider run of the frame, scoring freshman Tanner Schouten.
In the fourth, senior Jaden Snyder knocked in a run with an RBI double to make it 5-0 NW. It marked the fifth double of the season for the left second baseman. A two-out error in the fifth inning allowed the Tiger runs to score, cutting the lead 5-2. Not being able to fight back, DWU took the first loss of the day.
“Brett threw really well! Our guys did a nice job doing what they needed to offensively!” said head coach Brain Wede.
Game two, the Raiders did not have the same momentum, taking the loss 4-12. Defensive miscues hindered the Raiders in game two, as DWU scored seven runs in the first two innings to take the lead 7-0. NW outed the first runs on the board in the third inning, thanks to an RBI single from junior Eli Rash. The Raiders would fought back but not enough to comeback from DWU’s early lead.
The next day the Raiders traveled up to DWU for their second doubleheader of the weekend. NW did not walk away with any wins for the day. The Raiders fell to the Tigers 4-6, NW lost in a tight game 4-3.
“Kalvelage was awesome and took advantage of chances today! It was great to see him compete,” said Wede. Baseball
