Wakefield, Neb. – Eaton Field in Wakefield, Nebraska, was a hitters dream in Friday's NSIC doubleheader which saw the teams combine for 54 runs scored, 60 hits, and 14 homeruns in the two games. Northern State held off a late Sioux Falls rally to take game one of the day by a score of 6-5, before the bats heated up and the Cougars notched a 26-17 win in game two. The second game of the doubleheader featured the most runs by the Wolves since a 19-run outing 2018 and the 43 combined runs made it the highest scoring contest for Northern since they combined with Jamestown to score 46 runs in a game 2015.
 
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score Game 1: NSU 6, USF 5
Final Score Game 2: NSU 17, USF 26
Records: NSU 9-17 (4-11 NSIC), USF 8-23 (7-10 NSIC)
Attendance: 53
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• Northern State never trailed in game one as they struck first in the bottom of the first inning as Reece Ragatz grounded out to the first basemen which allowed Austin Portner to score from third and give the Wolves a 1-0 lead
• Sioux Falls tied the game at one run apiece in the top of the second with solo homerun to center field
• A 4-run bottom of the second inning regained the lead for the Wolves, as a sacrifice fly by Jackson Meyer scored Niko Pezonella, an RBI double to center field by Portner scored Jordan DeMarce, and Karson Hesser pushed the lead to 5-1 with a 2-run homerun to right field that scored Portner
• Michael Chevalier and the Northern defense continued to build off the momentum in the top of the top of the third as NSU sent USF down in order and Chevalier later tallied three strikeouts in the top of the fourth
• Sioux Falls tacked on one run in the top of the fifth with a solo homerun to right field, and the Cougars continued to cut into the Northern State lead in the top of the sixth with back-to-back solo homeruns and a sacrifice fly later tied the game at five
• The Wolves won the game with a run by Pezonella off a sacrifice fly from DeMarce in the bottom of the sixth inning
• Chevalier (4-3) earned the win on the mound in his eighth start of the season, pitching 5.0 innings and throwing six strikeouts in the contest
• Blake Ask made his ninth relief appearance of the season as he earned the save, his first of his career, as he pitched a 3-up, 3-down inning with one strikeout
• Northern State scored their six runs of seven hits and did not commit an error defensively

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS – GAME 1
Niko Pezonella: 2-for-2, 1 double, 1 walk, 2 runs scored
Austin Portner: 1-for-3, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored
Karson Hesser: 1-for-1, 1 homerun, 2 walks, 2 RBI, 1 run scored
Michael Chevalier: 5.0 innings pitched, 6 strikeouts, win (4-3)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• Sioux Falls scored the first runs of the game in the top of the first with an RBI since and an RBI ground out
• Northern State got one run back in the bottom of the first as Jack Paulson hit a single down the left field line to score Austin Portner
• The Cougars gained control of the game in the top of the second inning by scoring six runs and pushing the lead to 8-1
• The Wolves once again responded in the bottom of the second with a pair of RBI singles by Jackson Meyer and Portner, scoring Kai Brisk and Andrew Wedwick respectively
• After entering in relief in the top of the second, Jake Helleloid momentarily held the USF bats at bay in the top of the third, holding them scoreless for the first of only two innings in the game
• An RBI single by Pezonella to score Paulson briefly cut the deficit to 8-4 in the bottom of the third inning, however the Cougars added one run on an RBI ground out in the top of the fourth and hit a pair of 2-run homeruns in the top of the fifth to push the lead out to 13-4
• Pezonella hit the first of four NSU homeruns in game two with a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the fifth to score Reece Ragatz
• USF exploded for nine runs in the top of the sixth inning, with eight of the nine runs coming with two outs in the inning
• Ragatz helped chip into the deficit with a 3-run homerun down the right field line, scoring Paulson and Portner to make the score 22-9
• Taite Hensley made his season debut on the mound in relief and would hold USF scoreless in the top half of the seventh inning, limiting the Cougars to only one hit and striking out one batter
• Paulson was able to extend the game for Northern State in the bottom of the seventh inning as a grand slam to left center cut the deficit to nine runs
• Sioux Falls added one run in the top of the eighth and the Wolves were able to get the run back in the bottom half of the inning as Mateo Tahsini reach base safely on an error which allowed Tyler Kimm to score from third
• The Cougars scored three runs in the top of the ninth with an RBI single and their fifth homerun of the game on a 2-run shot to right center
• The Wolves closed the game with the ninth combined homerun of game to in the bottom of the ninth as Mitchell Tolk sent a 3-run homer to right center
• Zach Carolin (1-3) suffered the loss on the mound as he made his seventh start of the season
• Northern State scored their 17 runs off 18 hits and committed two errors defensively

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS – GAME 2
Jack Paulson: 2-for-3, 1 homerun, 2 walks, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored
Reece Ragatz: 2-for-5, 1 homerun, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored
Niko Pezonella: 2-for-3, 1 homerun, 3 RBI, 1 run scored
Connor Knecht: 1-for-3, 1 homerun, 3 RBI, 1 run scored
 
UP NEXT
Northern State and Sioux Falls will decide the series winner tomorrow afternoon in Wayne, Nebraska, as game three is slated for a 10 a.m. first pitch at the Wayne City Field.