Northwestern baseball is back. While the current rendition of the team doesn’t appear to have the next Joe Girardi or J.A. Happ (who recently signed a 2-year, $34 million extension with the Yankees), they are unlikely to be a pushover in the Big Ten. In their first weekend of competitive baseball down in Arizona, the Wildcats (2-2) lost a series against BYU, but ended on a high note with a 9-5 win over Cal.
Friday
4-3 L vs. BYU (10 innings)
Friday’s opener at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona was the most closely contested matchup of the weekend. Ace Hank Christie tossed six innings of one-run ball and recorded four strikeouts to notch his first quality start of the season. After a three-run sixth inning highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Leo Kaplan, Christie was primed for the win.
T6 | LEOOOOOOOOO!
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) February 16, 2019
Leo Kaplan with a 2-RBI single to extend the #B1GCats' advantage.
NU 3, BYU 1 pic.twitter.com/5TYhLFThyp
However, Northwestern’s bullpen and defense could not hold the lead. Southpaw Jack Pagliarini recorded two walks and an error in a tumultuous eighth-inning stint, enabling the Cougars to tie the game. When the game went to extras, BYU’s Jack Cluff notched a walk-off single off Northwestern junior Josh Levy to send the Wildcats packing. Alex Erro went 2-5 with a run to extend his hitting streak to 15 games in the loss.
¡ADIÓS PELOTA!@aerro7 slugs his first home run of the season to start the fifth.#B1GCats pic.twitter.com/r8KLFPQqN0
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) February 17, 2019
Saturday
3-2 W vs. BYU
11-2 L vs. BYU
In the first game of the doubleheader, junior starter Sam Lawrence tossed five shutout innings as the ‘Cats built a three-run lead behind a BYU error and two bases-loaded walks. Those three runs were all Northwestern needed. The bullpen faltered again, as Anthony Alepra allowed two runs in three decent innings of work (he didn’t record a walk), but closer Nick Paciorek held on in the ninth, retiring the Cougars in order to pick up a save. Erro and Ben Dickey both stole bases in the Wildcats’ first win of the season.
The nightcap proved that poor starting pitching will usually doom a team. Wildcat starter Ryan Bale struggled mightily, ceding five runs in three innings of work, highlighted by a Brock Hale home run. The Cougars continued to pile it on in the fourth, adding six more runs on a barrage of singles and doubles. Erro homered for Northwestern in one of the few bright spots of the game, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.
Sunday
9-5 W vs. Cal
At the Tempe Diablo Stadium Complex, senior Willie Bourbon was the brightest star in an offensive outburst. Bourbon went 3-3 with a home run and two walks as Northwestern scored early and often against Cal. The Wildcats took advantage of a horrendous defensive performance from the Bears, who piled up six errors. Brothers Jack Dunn (senior) and David Dunn (redshirt freshman) went a combined 5-8 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs in the commanding win that evened their record. The Northwestern bullpen was still a problem, allowing four runs in the final two innings of play.
Overall, Northwestern appears to be a strong offensive team with a couple solid starting pitchers. The bullpen will need to improve before conference play and will surely be a focus of head coach Spencer Allen.
"Everyone got an opportunity to contribute, and we're excited about this group moving forward," said Allen.
🎙 | "Just really proud of the guys for them bouncing back." — @CoachAllen_37#B1GCats pic.twitter.com/y94T81q5hd
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) February 17, 2019