APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team scored late to win the opener, and St. Norbert College won a pitchers’ duel in the nightcap as the teams split a Midwest Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Whiting Field.
Lawrence (7-13, 1-9 MWC) took the opening game 5-3, and St. Norbert (16-7, 5-1) won the second game 2-1.
In the opener, St. Norbert starter Kevin Nutley led 1-0 and took a no-hitter to the bottom of the seventh before the Vikings rallied. Aaron Benz started the inning with a double for the Vikings, and he scored two batters later on Joel Birch’s single to tie the game at 1-1.
Davis Ogilvie followed with a single and Tanner DeBettencourt singled to load the bases. Davide Harris then singled down the left field line to score Birch and Ogilvie and the Vikings led 3-1.
The Green Knights got an unearned run in the top of the eighth to cut the margin to 3-2, but the Vikings struck for two runs in the bottom half of the inning. After Gabe Henriques reached on an error, a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. Ogilvie’s sacrifice fly scored Henriques to put Lawrence up 4-2, and pinch-hitter Richie Foreman singled to score Wisniewski for a 5-2 edge.
The Green Knights loaded the bases on three walks and a fielder’s choice in the ninth, and Drew Doares came on in relief. After another walk forced in a run, Doares struck out Carlos Rodriguez to end the game.
Alex Brewer went 7.2 innings, allowed eight hits, struck out four and walked four, to improve to 3-1 on the season for Lawrence. Doares earned his first save of the season, but he had plenty more work to do.
Doares started the second game for the Vikings and pitched the first eight innings. Doares battled St. Norbert starter Matt Freeman in the nightcap. Freeman went the distance to get the win. He allowed five hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Doares gave up six hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.
St. Norbert picked up a run in the second after Travis Mason doubled and later scored on a fielder’s choice groundout. The Green Knights went up 2-0 after Jose Godinez was hit by a pitch and later scored on a bad-hop infield single in the sixth.
Lawrence trimmed the margin to 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Marc Linger singled and later scored on Jake Gordon’s single. The Vikings put runners aboard in the eighth and ninth innings, but Freeman closed the door both times to seal the victory.
Lawrence will host St. Norbert in another doubleheader on Sunday because of wet field conditions at Mel Nicks Field in De Pere.