Late game heroics from Connor Lange and Cyler Melvin helped the Charger baseball team sweep Northwestern to open the conference season.
 
"Our guy showed a lot of fight and I am very proud of their resilience today," said head coach Corby McGlauflin. "We are going to enjoy this for a few hours, then get back at it tomorrow."
 
Jacob Wesselmann took the mound in game one for the Chargers and was dealing early. He struck out eight of the first nine batters he faced and did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. Mike Anthony drove in the first run of the game, scoring Connor Lange. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases and Cyler Melvin drove in two more Charger runs with a single to center.
 
The Red Raiders would get two runs back in the fifth to trail 3-2. Harrison Jestel crushed his seventh home run of the season over the left field to lead off the bottom of the inning. Jake Allen knocked one over the left field fence on the first pitch of the at bat to put the Cliff up 5-2.
 
Northwestern scored three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the ballgame at 5-5. The Chargers had runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the inning but was unable to cross home plate sending the game to extra innings.
 
With two outs, down 7-5 in the bottom of the eighth the Chargers rallied loading the bases. Lange cleared the bases with a walk-off double to deep right-center, scoring Cyler Melvin, Jake Hubbard, and Darnell Prince to give BC the 8-7 win.
 
Tyler Kjose picks up the win, going 1.0 scoreless innings. Wesselmann went 6.1 innings, striking out 11 and giving up four runs. Allen went 3-3 from the plate, scoring one run and had one RBI. Lange had three RBIs and Melvin drove in two runs.
 
The Briar Cliff bats were active early in game two, scoring six runs in the bottom of the second. Jared Sitzmann singled, scoring pinch runner Jake Hubbard. With the bases loaded, Jake Federico drove in three Chargers with a double to right-center. Melvin singled down the right field line, scoring Federico and Prince scored Melvin with a ground out to the second basemen.
 
The Red Raiders scored three runs in the third and fifth innings to tie it at 6-all. Sitzmann drove in his second run of the game in the fifth with a single to right field to put the Cliff up 7-6. Northwestern's Jaden Snyder homered to center field on a 0-2 count, and the Red Raiders added another run to take a one run lead. Cyler Melvin stepped up to the plate for the Cliff with a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the sixth. With the count full he blasted the game winning two-run home run over the center field fence.
 
Austin Carter gets the win for BC, pitching the final 1.2 innings giving up two hits and striking out three in the seventh. Federico and Melvin drove in three runs and Sitzmann tallied two RBIs. Hubbard crossed home plate three times and Jestel recorded two base on balls.
 
BC improves to 17-2 on the season and are 2-0 in GPAC play. They will be back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. for a doubleheader against Dakota Wesleyan.