The Briar Cliff baseball team dropped both games of Monday's doubleheader against Northwestern at Bishop Mueller Complex. The Chargers scored 14 runs on 21 hits across both games.
 
Game One – L, 4-8
The Chargers, acting as the away team due to rescheduling from weather, jumped on the board first to open the day. In the top of the first, Trey Rogers led off with a walk and was pushed to second on a wild pitch. After a groundout that advanced Rogers to third, Quentin Evers laced a single to left field to open the game 1-0.
 
Northwestern responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Despite allowing only two hits, the Charger defense committed back-to-back crucial errors that gave the 4-1 lead to NWC.
 
Cyler Melvin singled up the middle to get the rally going in the top of the second. Melvin was followed by Devon Farrell who found a single to right field and made his way all the way to third base on a throwing error that scored Melvin. Rogers also reached first on a costly Red Raider error that pushed another BC run across. The Chargers pushed back to a 3-4 deficit.
 
The early scoring wasn't done yet as Northwestern pushed another run across in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Kip Cullinan and Sam Stanford carded timely back-to-back hits that extended the lead back to 5-3 for NWC.
 
After three scoreless innings, Northwestern poured on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Three raiders carded singles in the inning, one of them cashing two RBIs, to give the Raiders a late 8-3 advantage.
 
In a come-from-behind attempt, the Chargers started to string together hits in the final half-inning. With two outs, Walter Hunt lined a single past third base, Rogers screamed a singled up the middle and Cam Riemer roped an RBI double to inch BC closer. The comeback efforts were not enough as the Chargers fell 4-8 in game one.
 
As a team, the Chargers tallied eight hits in the contest. Evers and Hunt led the way with two hits apiece as four other Chargers tallied one each.
 
Starting pitcher Kyler Steinborn threw 5.0 innings, allowing five runs on four hits, while striking out four. Carter Schorg appeared for one inning, allowing three runs on three hits to go with one strikeout.
 
Game Two – L, 10-11
Northwestern pushed the first runs across the plate in game two. In the bottom of the first, NWC carded two runs on three hits with a Charger error to put the Cliff in an early 2-0 deficit.
 
Following a scoreless second inning, Rogers walked, advanced to second on a passed ball, and stole third, allowing him to score on a costly Red Raider error to cut the lead to 1-2.
 
NWC would expand the lead in the bottom of the third after stringing five hits together, including two doubles. With two outs, Eli Rash recorded a two-RBI single to blow the game open 6-1 in favor of NWC.
 
The Charger offense couldn't get rolling as the Red Raider bats were firing on all cylinders. Despite collecting two early outs, Northwestern found two more runs in the bottom of the fourth after tallying three hits to extend their lead even further to 8-1.
 
Briar Cliff started to chip away at the lead in the top of the fifth after recording two runs on the three hits. Easton Cone led off the frame with a double to left field and was followed by a two-out walk by Connor Lange. Evers found the timely hit, carding a two-RBI single to right field to cut the deficit to five heading into the sixth inning.
 
The Chargers roared back with momentum in their sixth at-bat. Jared Sitzmann and Farrell opened the frame with back-to-back doubles and were immediately followed by an RBI single from Easton Cone. Riemer and Lange also carded RBIs in the inning to nearly tie the game up at 7-8. After a ground out, Riemer crossed the plate on a throw to even the game up at 8-8 prior to the bottom on the sixth.
 
Austin Carter, a relief pitcher for the Chargers, found a strikeout and forced two routine plays to go into the final frame tied 8-8.
 
Melvin walked to begin the final Charger at-bat and pinch runner Matthew Hmielewski was hit to third by Farrell. Jake Chronic, pinch running for Farrell, stole second to put two runners in scoring position for Cone. Cone placed a two-RBI single over the middle infielders to give the Chargers the late 10-8 lead.
 
Northwestern wasn't done yet as they rallied late in the seventh. After back-to-back opening singles, the Charger lead was cut to one run. The BC defense managed to back-to-back outs with two runners on base. With two outs, the duo of Cullinan and Stanford recorded back-to-back RBI singles to grant the Red Raiders the walk-off 11-10 victory in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
As a team, the Chargers tallied 10 runs on 13 hits in game two. Cone paced the Chargers with three hits as Riemer, Hunt, and Farrell carded two apiece. Four other Chargers found one hit each.
 
Ryan Riddle chucked 2.2 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. Austin Carter went the rest of the way, going 4.0 innings allowing five runs on eight hits, while striking out two.
 
The Briar Cliff baseball team will be back in action on Friday when they host the Dordt Defenders in a doubleheader at Bishop Mueller field. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.