Three of Northwestern’s last six games in conference play have been decided by one run. The ‘Cats have lost every single one.
The danger zone is imminent for Northwestern (14-21-1, 5-13 B1G) in its quest for its 10th Big Ten Tournament appearance in program history, which would be its first since reaching the finals back in 2017. A series sweep to Michigan (24-15, 10-8 B1G) did the ‘Cats no favors, as they now find themselves in a four-way at the bottom of the conference.
The weekend featured various
movement in Ben Greenspan’s lineup, as each game featured a different leadoff hitter. Nick Barron was slotted in the leadoff spot in game one, followed by Owen McElfatrick (NU’s primary leadoff batter this season) in the middle game and Jack Counsell in the series finale. The three infielders went a combined 2-for-23 at the plate, with the two hits being credited to McElfatrick. As a team, the ‘Cats batted .208, which wasn’t enough to pace the Wolverines’ .271 average over the weekend.
Game 1: Michigan 7, Northwestern 6
The first three innings from Ray Fisher Stadium were quite fun for fans of electric offense.
Northwestern pieced together a two-out rally with quality at-bats from Noah Ruiz, Jackson Freeman and McElfatrick. Ruiz followed a five-pitch walk from Barron with an opposite-field single, Freeman loaded the bases after drawing a walk and McElfatrick cashed in for the ‘Cats with a two-run base hit to left field.
An early jab from NU seemed to land pretty good on the Wolverines’ jaw, but a swift check hook from Michigan in the bottom of the first, followed by an uppercut in the second put it in the driver’s seat. Colby Turner cranked a solo homer to right with one out in the home half of frame one, cutting the deficit in half for U-M.
Big Blue took a two-run lead of its own in the bottom half of the next inning, thanks to Brayden Jefferis, who dunked an elevated fastball into center field for what at first seemed like a game-tying single, but turned into a bases-clearing go-ahead double after skipping off the glove of a diving Jack Lausch.
Freeman gave NU a response with an RBI groundout in the third, making it 4-3 Michigan.
Jake Rifenburg’s nightmarish four inning start was further exasperated by a wild pitch that scored Michigan’s sixth run of the game in the bottom of the third. The first-year exited in the fifth the game having allowed a career-high nine hits and left two runners on base for Garrett Shearer to clean up.
Unfortunately, the veteran couldn’t bail Northwestern’s youth out of treachery. Back-to-back Michigan sac flies brought in both runs to make it a four-run deficit for the ‘Cats.
From that point on, relievers for both teams went to battle. Shearer and Grant Bradley of the Wolverines shut down their respective adversaries for the next three innings. Both offenses combined for a singular hit between the sixth and eight innings.
Although the ‘Cats were backed into a corner in the top of the ninth, a Jay Slater two-run bomb provided them the punch they needed to begin battling out of it. Then, down to its final out, Northwestern seemed to make the offensive dogfight a stalemate in the final round as Ryan Kucherak left the yard to make it a one-run contest.
Gavin DeVooght produced the knockout blow for Michigan on Friday, inducing a flyout from Lausch to record the final out and “save” the day for his Wolverines.
Game 2: Michigan 8, Northwestern 3
A combination of good Wolverine hitting and bad defense made Matt Kouser’s first of five innings in his Saturday start quite a struggle.
After allowing three of the first four batters he faced to reach base, a sacrifice fly and Joonsung Park double cleared the bases and put Kouser in an early hole, only deepened by a Ryan Kucherak throwing error that gave Michigan runners on the corners with two outs. Josh Campbell followed behind Park with a two-run double of his own to complete a five run inning from the Wolverines in the first.
Kouser would record the next nine outs unharmed while McElfatrick poked the second of his two base hits in the series through the left side to plate Northwestern’s first run in the third.
In the bottom of the fifth, a second ‘Cats error and Park’s second RBI double of the contest gave the Wolverines a 7-1 lead. Michigan later found another RBI hit in the seventh to cap off its scoring. Sacrifice flies from Counsell and Ruiz gave NU runs in the eighth and ninth, but its late-game rally was killed by a Freeman strikeout to end the Saturday afternoon marquee.
Game 3: Michigan 2, Northwestern 1
The final game of the series was the definition of a “pitcher’s duel”. Both starters hurled 90+ pitches on Sunday and combined for nine strikeouts.
After allowing a leadoff single, Ryan Weaver retired the next nine batters he faced in order. It took a safety squeeze, executed by Turner and Cade Ladehoff, for Michigan to finally score its first run in the fourth. Brenden Stressler singled to left just a few pitches after to score a second for U-M.
The top of the fifth saw NU generate its first run in response. McElfatrick walked and Jake Yang’s single advanced him to third, enabling the senior third baseman to waltz home on a passed ball.
However, that would be all that Northwestern could muster against David Lally Jr., who provided the Wolverines a career day on the bump. The senior tossed a complete game one-hitter, striking out six and providing a highlight play in the ninth, snagging a frozen rope off the bat of Lausch for the first out of the ninth.
Greenspan gave Lally Jr. credit in his interview with Big Ten Network in the middle of the fifth, taking note of the cutter that carried him to victory.
Northwestern is back in action on Tuesday, April 21 at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park, when they take on Bradley at 3:30 pm CT.
