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Western Illinois University Athletics

Baseball
Rachael Keating
13
Western Illinois WIU 2-15
14
Winner Northern Colorado UNC 5-14
Western Illinois WIU
2-15
13
Final
14
Northern Colorado UNC
5-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 2 0 3 0 5 0 3 13 14 1
Northern Colorado UNC 2 3 0 1 4 2 1 0 1 14 18 3

W: Ashton MANSUR (1-1) L: Fochs, Chandler (0-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Freshmen Nearly Lead Comeback Versus Northern Colorado

Mitchell, Maddox, and Santarelli combined for nine hits, seven RBIs, and two home runs.

GREELEY, COLO.- Western Illinois baseball (2-15,0-2) nearly completed a spectacular comeback in the second game of their series against Northern Colorado (5-14, 2-0) on Saturday afternoon.
The Leathernecks trailed 12-5 entering the top of the seventh but used a five-run seventh and three-run ninth to tie the game.
Northern Colorado managed to walk it off with a fielder's choice in the ninth for the 14-13 win.
 
The Bears got back-to-back singles to begin their day at the plate and scored a pair of runs thanks to mistakes by Western Illinois. A throwing error and wild pitch scored two runs to give Northern Colorado an early 2-0 lead. A double and a walk gave Northern Colorado two baserunners in the second inning, and they scored via a big three-run home run to jump ahead 5-0.
 
Western Illinois got on the board in the top of the third by using the longball themselves. Freshman Sam Maddox blasted a solo shot to left to get the Leathernecks on the board. Matt Santarelli gave Western Illinois another run in the third with a single to center to score Kory Olsen and make the score 5-2.
 
Northern Colorado added a run in the fourth from another wild pitch to take a 6-2 lead, but the Leathernecks made it a new ball game with a three-run fifth.
 
Maddox led the inning off with a single and got all the way to third with a stolen base and passed ball. After a walk from Derek Botaletto, Olsen drove in Maddox with a groundout to second. Santarelli delivered his second RBI of the afternoon with a single to left, making it a 6-4 ball game. Santarelli later scored on a throwing error in the inning to make it a one-run contest.
 
Northern Colorado answered in their half of the fifth, starting things off with a single and a walk. The baserunners forced Western Illinois to make a pitching change. However, the Bear's offense wasn't quieted due to the change, getting a single in their next at-bat to score a run and go back up by two. The very next pitch was sent over the left-field wall for another three-run home run, giving Northern Colorado a 10-5 lead.
 
In the sixth, Northern Colorado hit their third home run of the game to add two more runs and go up 12-5.
 
The Leathernecks were down to nine outs as they entered the top of the seventh but got a spark with a leadoff home run from Santarelli. WIU put a pair on the bases with a walk and a hit by pitch and opted to sub in Adam Juran as a pinch hitter. The move was a jackpot decision, as Juran crushed a three-run home run to left for his first of the season to get WIU back within three. Jack Sievers joined the home run party with a solo shot to left to make the score 12-10. The Leathernecks entered Saturday's game with four home runs all season but used three in the inning to score five runs.
 
The Bears answered once again, using a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to regain a three-run cushion.
 
Western Illinois needed three runs in the ninth to keep the game going and got three thanks to a pair of clutch hits from two freshmen. After a leadoff double from Toby Allred, Nick Mitchell drove him in with a single up the middle to bring the Leathernecks within two. Next man up, Juran was hit by a pitch to put two runners on, and Sievers advanced them both to scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Maddox brought in the two baserunners with a single to center on a 3-2 pitch to tie the game up at 13-13.
 
Western Illinois had runners on first and second with two outs later in the inning and had their hot-hitting second basemen, Santarelli, up to bat. Santarelli lined a hit up the middle, but the Bears' shortstop made a great dive to rob Santarelli of a hit and get the out at second to get Northern Colorado out of the ninth.
 
Northern Colorado won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off fielder's choice to take game two.
 
Western Illinois saw a pair of career performances from Sam Maddox and Matt Santarelli. Maddox had just two hits entering Saturday's matchup but ended with a career-high four, his first collegiate home run, and three RBIs. Santarelli also hit his first collegiate home run en route to a three-hit game, with three RBIs. Both Maddox and Santarelli had just one RBI each entering the game.
 
Another freshman, Nick Mitchell, ended the game 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Adam Juran didn't start the game but still produced a career-high three RBIs thanks to his three-run home run. It's Juran's first home run of the season and second of his career.
 
Derek Botaletto had another efficient game, batting 1-2 with three walks and a run scored.
 
The series concludes tomorrow (March 20) at 1 p.m. CT.
 
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