Northwestern rode its hot bats to a dominant 15-4 road win over UIC Wednesday afternoon.
In his weekly column, Inside NU’s Sandy Tecotzky wrote that “NU’s hitters this season go up to the plate looking to do damage.” That mentality was on full display at Curtis Granderson Stadium, as the ‘Cats (13-15-1, 5-7 B1G) mashed five home runs, got better as the game went on and continued to showcase how much their offense has grown throughout the season.
James Whitaker was the star on the mound, helping neutralize
UIC’s hitters in the later innings. Whitaker pitched 3.1 innings of shutout ball, marking his longest outing this season without giving up a hit or run. This performance showcased how well the freshman has developed into a bulk inning reliever that can pitch multiple high-quality innings.
This game was back-and-forth during the first three innings. Jack Lausch got the scoring started with an RBI single in the first inning, bringing home Ryan Kucherak — who had reached base with a single of his own. UIC immediately responded in the bottom half off Wildcats’ pitcher Christian Forniss, who ceded two runs that came largely from self-inflicted errors, as he walked three batters and hit one to put UIC runners on base and allowed them to cash in, as they left the inning up 2-1.
The ‘Cats offense snagged the lead right back, however, in the subsequent frame on a pair of solo shots from Nick Barron and Owen McElfatrick. But UIC again returned the favor, this time off pitcher Dominic DeLoreto, as it earned two more runs to take a 4-3 lead.
That was the final inning where the game was contentious, as NU turned this contest into a rout in the fourth frame with six runs on four hits. Jay Slater quickly regained Northwestern’s lead on a two-run bomb that also brought home Barron. But unlike previous innings, this time the ‘Cats built on their lead. With two outs and the bases empty, Jackson Freeman and Kucherak both walked, and Lausch drove home Freeman on his second RBI single of the day. The following at-bat, Noah Ruiz launched a double that cleared the bases, and Jack Counsell’s single scored Barron.
In the blink of an eye, it was 9-4 Northwestern, with one big inning turning this game around.
The ‘Cats padded some insurance runs in the fifth inning on a grand slam from Kucherak, in which he mashed the ball so hard it left the park and landed next to Northwestern’s team bus.
Barron contributed to the offensive avalanche in the sixth inning with his own two-run blast into right field — one that made this a 15-4 ballgame and gave Barron his second home run of the contest. Meanwhile, UIC only mustered one baserunner in its final three innings at the plate, with Whitaker’s pitching completely shutting down its offense. Reliever Sam Michel secured the final two outs in the seventh inning, and NU’s massive lead triggered the run-rule, ending the game as a Wildcats victory.
NU will look to build on this momentum during its weekend conference series against Purdue. First pitch is Friday at 3 p.m. CT at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park.
