The offense looked good at times; the pitching did not.
What has been a relatively promising season for Northwestern baseball – that is, in comparison to the 10-40 campaign from the year before – was met with some disappointment this weekend in the Wildcats’ three-game series with Purdue.
Sitting at 13-23 with under a month left in the regular season, the ‘Cats faced up against the 26-15 Boilermakers. NU hoped to improve on its two conference wins this season to earn themselves a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
Game 1 of the series was a highlight, mainly because of its location: for the third time ever, Northwestern baseball hosted a game at the storied Wrigley Field.
The Boilers got the scoring started early, as a RBI single from shortstop Camden Gasser brought in the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. Purdue would bring home another two runs before Northwestern got on the board in the bottom fourth on a two-run single via centerfielder Griffin Arnone.
The Wildcats remained close until the top of the eighth inning, when the game was blown wide open by a huge four-run inning from Purdue to effectively put the game away. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Purdue’s next seven batters were able to reach base. Even when Garrett Shearer induced an inning-ending pop-up, the Boilermakers still had the bases loaded.
Northwestern second baseman Owen McElfatrick responded with a solo homerun in the bottom of the inning, but his effort was wiped out by another two-run ninth by Purdue, ending Northwestern’s night out in Chicago in a 9-3 defeat.
The Wildcats simply couldn’t find any offensive consistency. Despite great days from McElfatrick and Bennett Markinson, Northwestern was unable to string hits together. On the other hand, Purdue’s first three batters combined for seven hits and two walks over the course of the game. With all those baserunners, it was far too easy for the Boilermakers to pad their scoring totals.
Moving into the second game, the Wildcats returned back to familiar grounds, coming back to Evanston to finish out the series. The Boilermakers got to a quick start in this one, though, scoring six runs in the first three innings.
The span saw three home runs from Purdue, including one in the third inning off the bat of Luke Gaffney. Gaffney, the Big Ten leader in RBI and runs, was ejected after crossing home plate, leaving the Purdue offense without their leader.
However, Gaffney’s absence wasn’t too problematic for the Boilermakers. After a Griffin Mills single brought home Griffin Arnone in the fifth to get the Wildcats on the board, Purdue’s bats responded once again. Connor Caskenette and Jo Stevens added two more homers for the Boilermakers, who tied a program record with six total dingers in the game.
After going down 8-1 through five, homers from McElfatrick, Preston Knott and Trent Liolios brought the game back within striking distance, but it wouldn’t be enough to get the job done on Saturday. The Boilers won 10-7, highlighted by a great hitting performance from Stevens (3-for-5, four RBIs). On a windy day, the two teams combined for nine home runs.
The Boilermaker offense stayed hot Sunday afternoon, putting up a weekend-high 11 runs, including seven on Northwestern starting pitcher Matt McClure. Though it was a rough day for the ‘Cats, a couple of silver linings shone in the form of catcher Bennett Markinson’s first homerun of the year and a 2-for-3 day for third baseman Vince Bianchina.
As for Purdue, four players had multiple hits, and three of them scored multiple runs. Caskenette led the way offensively with three hits and a mind-boggling seven RBI, partially thanks to a towering three-run home run in the fifth inning. Leadoff hitter Mike Bolton Jr. also reached base in every plate appearance and scored all four times.
The series sweep marks the fifth such occurrence this season for first-year head coach Ben Greenspan and company. And with just three Big Ten series remaining this season, Northwestern is in a deep hole. NU is five games back of Michigan State, who currently holds the final slot in the Big Ten Tournament bracket. Luckily, there’s still plenty of non-conference games to get the team back on track. The Wildcats are set to travel back into Chicago for a one-game stint against the UIC Flames this Tuesday.