The ‘Cats have now secured their first series win of Big Ten action.
Northwestern (23-25, 12-15 B1G) came away with a much-needed series win over Ohio State (12-35, 4-23 B1G) last weekend in a three-game series split between Wrigley Field and Miller Park in Evanston. With their two wins over the weekend, the ‘Cats notched their third series win of conference play.
Northwestern kicked off the homestand with a Friday evening faceoff at Wrigley Field. Both teams recorded a quiet first inning, but NU erupted for six runs in the bottom of the second to take a commanding lead early on. After the ‘Cats loaded the bases, infielder Jacob Hand doubled to right center, driving in all three baserunners. Subsequent doubles by Preston Knott and Owen McElfatrick doubled Northwestern’s score, and a Trent Liolios base hit in the third inning increased the lead to seven.
Meanwhile, Sam Hliboki was unstoppable on the mound for the ‘Cats, throwing four shutout innings to start the game. The Buckeyes’ offense finally showed signs of life in the fifth inning, scoring a pair of runs to cut the deficit to five. But those would be the only runs Hliboki gave up in his seven innings of work. Northwestern’s offense scored five more runs in the sixth and seventh innings, securing a 12-2 run-rule victory at the Friendly Confines.
The Buckeyes were out for vengeance after their sound defeat at Wrigley, and they got off to a hot start in the second game of the series. Mason Eckelman’s three-run homer in the first inning was followed immediately by a solo shot from Ryan Miller to give OSU four runs. McElfatrick drove in a run for Northwestern in the bottom of the inning, but OSU stole another in the top of the second to make it 5-1.
The ‘Cats staged a comeback push in the bottom of the third, with a Jackson Freeman base hit scoring Liolios. Red-hot shortstop Ryan Kucherak then doubled down the right-field line, adding another run, and a Jack Lausch sacrifice fly brought NU back within one.
However, Ohio State powered its way to a four-run sixth inning. Maddix Simpson and Matthew Graveline each homered for the Buckeyes, and a Will Carpenter double into left field gave them a 9-4 advantage. Both teams added two more runs in the seventh inning, and OSU emerged victorious by a score of 11-6.
Following the first two games, the stage was set for a Senior Day rubber match. The ‘Cats honored their graduating seniors emphatically, scoring a combined 10 runs in the first two innings alone. A Bennett Markinson bases-clearing triple in the first scored the first three runs, and NU went for seven more the following inning.
Ohio State snuck in a pair of runs in the top of the third. But the ‘Cats quickly regained their lead and then some, with homers by Kucherak and Lausch extending their tally to 13. A three-run shot by Pirmin Brechbuhl in the fifth and an additional home run by Kucherak in the sixth brought NU’s total to 17, where it would remain until the end of the game.
It was an incredible moment for Brechbuhl, a graduate student who finally recorded his first hit as a Wildcat and first career homer. Northwestern came away with another run-rule victory, this one by a score of 17-2.
With senior day festivities in the rearview, the ‘Cats have just four regular season games remaining. They host Valparaiso in Evanston on Tuesday before heading out west to Los Angeles to face UCLA in their final regular season series.