DENVER, Colo. – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team captured the first win of head coach Tony Jandron's career with a 9-5 win in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Regis University.

The Bearcats tallied a 9-5 seven-inning victory in the opener and the Rangers recorded a 9-2 win in the nightcap to split the doubleheader.
 
GAME ONE – NORTHWEST 9, REGIS 5
Northwest erupted with a six-run fourth inning to secure Jandron's first victory as a head coach. Max Pawela launched a home run in the third and finished with two RBI, while Ryan Williams drove in a pair to help power the offense. The Bearcats did not commit an error in game one. 
 
Junior Ben Haug (1-0) made his first career start and was awarded the win. Haug went 4.0 innings and allowed five runs on four hits. Haug struck out one Ranger batter and walked five. 

Junior Brock Steggall tossed three scoreless innings of two-hit ball to gain his second collegiate save. Steggall struck out one and walked one. Bearcat catcher Ryan Williams worked the entire game behind the plate and gunned down a runner in the first to thwart a stolen base attempt.
 
Regis was able to get on the board first with a solo homer in the bottom of the second.
 
Pawela provided an immediate answer, crushing a lead-off home run to right field to tie the game at 1-1. Jacob Selock then ripped a stand-up double down the left-field line. Williams continued to make an impact on both sides of the plate, lifting a sacrifice fly to bring in Selock and give Northwest a 2-1 lead. The Bearcats plated two runs on two hits in the top of the third.
 
Northwest wasted no time applying pressure in the fourth, putting up a six-spot. Kaekukai Young led off with a single. Bowers was hit by a pitch. Leonardo May beat out a bunt single for a hit but the throw from third got away allowing Young to score to give Northwest a 3-1 advantage. Parker Griffith was hit by another pitch to load the bases. Pawela drew a walk to push across another run, 4-1, prompting a Regis pitching change with no outs. May then scored on a passed ball to extend the lead to 5-1. A few pitches later, Dylan Hufft ripped an RBI-double down the right-field line, making it 6-1. Northwest's offense stayed hot, as Ryan Williams added another sacrifice fly to bring in Pawela, giving the Bearcats a 7-1 lead. Another Bearcat run was added, as Ashton Neuman reached on another Rangers' error, scoring Hufft from third, and pushing the Bearcat lead to 8-1. 

The Rangers would provide a four-run answer in the bottom half, cutting the Bearcats lead to 8-5. 

The first two Bearcats reached base to start the fifth and Bowers eventually scored on a wild pitch to give Northwest a 9-5 advantage. 

Brock Steggall took the mound for Haug in the fifth. Haug's line went four innings, four hits, five earned runs and a strikeout. Steggall held the Rangers' offense off the scoreboard in the final three innings, securing the Bearcats' first win of the 2025 season, also evening the series at 1-1. 

GAME TWO - REGIS 9, NORTHWEST 2
Regis came back in the nightcap to split the doubleheader with a 9-2 triumph over Northwest.

Regis took an early 2-0 after a pair of RBI doubles in the first. 

Northwest matched Regis's two runs in the top of the second. Bowers reached on an error by the Rangers' second baseman that scored Young. Shortly after, Christian Hampton hit in a double play, but Parker Griffith was able to score on the play to level the matchup at 2-2.

The Rangers took a 3-2 lead in the third on a solo homer from Zach Barnao. Regis would go on to add three runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and one more insurance run in the eighth to take a commanding 9-2 lead.

Ashton Neuman made the start on the mound and took the loss. Neuman worked 3 2/3 innings and allowed six runs (all earned) on eight hits. Connor Polli came in the fourth and pitched 1 1/3 innings. Polli gave up two runs and two hits. Logan Brasel tossed the final three innings. Brasel allowed two hits and one run with two strikeouts.

Dylan Hufft tallied three of Northwest's seven hits in the second game.

Northwest and Regis will play the final game of the season-opening four-game set on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
 
NOTES: Max Pawela hit his sixth career home run in game one of the doubleheader ... Dylan Hufft and Kaehukai Young have each tallied a hit in all three games of the series ... Hufft has recorded a pair of multi-hit games in the series ... Parker Griffith, Ryan Williams, Jacob Selock, Dylan Hufft and Kaehukai Young have all reached base in all three games this season ... Hufft is hitting a team-best .429 with six hits in 14 at-bats ... Hufft leads the squad with two doubles ... Ryan Williams leads the Bearcats with four RBI.