Northwestern Baseball (5-2, 0-0 B1G) showcased its prowess and potential this weekend in a thrilling four-game sweep of Cornell and Boston College at the Hub City Invitational.
Each victory showcased different aspects of Ben Greenspan’s team: offensive depth, production with runners on base, plate discipline and clutch pitches. But the most important thing about this weekend was the resilience and tenacity of the Wildcats when their backs were against the wall and the margin for error was small.
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Let’s look back at the successful weekend in Spartanburg.
Northwest 13, Cornell 5 (Friday, February 20)
The offensive momentum from NU’s 17-6 win over Rice to close out a disappointing first weekend clearly carried over to Friday, when the bats were clicking on all cylinders. The Wildcats recorded 13 runs and 14 hits, making it the first time since April 2022 that NU had consecutive games with more than 13 runs. 30 runs in two games are also Northwestern’s most in that span since 2005.
The offense started quickly on Friday, with Owen McElfatrick recording an RBI single in the first inning. While Cornell responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, NU’s offense proved more explosive in the second inning. After a single by Jay Slater, Carter Danz recorded the first hit of his career: a double to put runners on second and third. Sacrifice shots by Jack Counsell and Jack Lausch brought Slater and Danz home, and NU took a 3-1 lead.
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The ‘Cats’ offense continued to move forward over the next three innings. Nick Barron launched a two-run shot for his first career home run, while NU got RBIs from Lausch and Ryan Kucherak along with a two-run triple from Slater. After five innings, NU had a 10-2 lead.
While Cornell chipped away at that lead with three runs in the sixth, Northwestern got those runs back in the top of the eight on McElfatrick’s sacrifice fly. Logan de Groot got involved in the offensive onslaught with his first RBI as a Wildcat with a bases-loaded walk. That was the last of 13 runs Northwestern would post, with eight different Wildcats recording an RBI.
On the mound, Sam Hliboki got his first win of the year. In his 5.0 innings pitched, he allowed four runs on six hits, but also recorded six strikeouts, his most as a Wildcat. Tommy Bridges replaced Hliboki in relief. It was the sophomore’s first appearance as a Wildcat, and it was one to remember, as Bridges pitched 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and earned the save.
Northwestern 6, Cornell 5 (Saturday, February 21)
In the first leg of a doubleheader, Northwestern’s subsequent matchup against Cornell looked a little different, but had the same result. Unlike Friday’s offensive loss, this game seemed headed toward a Big Red victory, until NU rallied from a three-run deficit in the ninth to tie the score. A thrilling extra-inning battle ensued, capped by Lausch’s two-run single, sealing the Wildcat victory.
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Just like in the first game, NU scored in the first inning on an RBI triple by McElfatrick. While the offense went into a lull after that, Garrett Shearer held off Cornell hitters with 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. He continued to look strong in his second game back from injury, and his impeccable outing kept the score at 1-0.
With Shearer off the mound, the Big Red took advantage, scoring three runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh. The ‘Cats’ offense continued to struggle and Cornell took a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning.
That’s when lightning struck. After a Jackson Freeman single and walks to McElfatrick and Barron loaded the bases, Noah Ruiz drove in two runs with a single, and Griffin Mills followed with a sacrifice fly to even the score at 4-4, forcing extra innings.
Cornell made a strong push in the 10th, but left the bases loaded when Christian Forniss got out of the jam. His 3.0 shutout innings went a long way toward keeping NU in this game.
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Cornell was able to score a run in the eleventh inning on a pass from Dominic DeLoreto, who was making his college debut. But once again, Northwestern wasn’t done yet. In the bottom of the 11th, Lausch came to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs and his team down a run. A sacrifice fly would tie the game and a hit would probably win it. The latter occurred, when Lausch put the cannon on the ball and hit a two-run single to center field, scoring Ruiz and Mills and sending the Wildcat bench into a frenzy.
While Lausch was the hero, the win came primarily thanks to great plate discipline, as Northwestern drew a season-high 12 walks. The Wildcat offense turned on at the right time and the pitchers got the job done in high-risk situations.
Northwestern 5, Boston College 4 (Saturday, February 21)
In the second half of a doubleheader, Northwestern repeated the same script as the first game: coming back late in the game and securing a one-run victory. Only this time it was against Boston College.
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The Eagles struck first, hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first. But the Wildcats, as they had all weekend, got those runs back in the bottom of the second with RBIs from Mills and Counsell.
Boston College increased its lead in the fourth and sixth innings, taking a 4-2 lead. But once again, NU found itself in a hole and climbed out of it, rallying in the bottom of the sixth with a home run by Barron and a two-run triple by Counsell. The inning ended with a 5-4 lead for the Wildcats, one they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Ryan Weaver completed his second start as a Wildcat, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing four runs on five hits while recording four strikeouts. Jake Rifenburg dominated in relief and earned the first victory of his career with 3.1 scoreless innings. Once again, the launch was not perfect, but at the decisive moment it came through.
Northwestern 8, Boston College 5 (Sunday, February 22)
Sometimes all it takes is an offensive burst to secure a victory. Northwestern got one in the eighth inning of Sunday’s clash against Boston College, scoring seven runs to secure a sweep of the Hub City Invitational.
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Both teams took advantage of self-inflicted errors to get their first runs: BC got on the board with a wild pitch by NU, while NU evened the score with two fielding errors by the Eagles. Boston College retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth, with a two-run single that made the score 3-1.
While NU’s offense was quiet most of the afternoon, it exploded in the eighth inning: seven runs with five walks, three hits and one error. Slater started the scoring with a bases-loaded RBI single, while Counsell tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Mills came home with a wild pitch to give NU the lead. The rest were safe runs: McElfatrick and Barron each drew bases-loaded walks, while Ruiz extended the lead with a two-run single to make the score 8-3.
While BC added two more runs in the late innings, the Wildcat lead was never in doubt, and they took advantage of Drew Dickson’s first career save to secure the four-game sweep.
Justin Fryer was solid in his 2.2 innings on the mound, earning the first win of his career by allowing just one run on two hits and two walks.
Next
While the ‘Cats feasted in Spartanburg, they’ll need to carry that momentum into their upcoming weekend series against No. 5 Georgia Tech. It will be the toughest task they’ll face yet, but if this weekend has proven anything, it’s that the Wildcats can’t be counted out until the final out is recorded.