The hits kept coming for the Northwestern baseball team, helping the Wildcats break their mid-week curse.
NU (19-17) walloped Valparaiso 16-5 Tuesday, matching a season high by pounding out 21 hits.
“We needed to come out and score a bunch of runs to build confidence,” said freshman catcher Ken Padgett, who collected three hits. “We started hitting and hitting, and it built up.”
NU scored the most runs it has all season, victimizing Valparaiso’s pitching and breaking a trend of recent mid-week losses. The Cats dropped games to Lewis, Chicago State and Wisconsin-Parkside earlier this season but had little trouble disposing of the Crusaders (7-21-1).
“I don’t think we played down to the competition like we do sometimes,” Padgett said. “We played at our level.”
NU ignited in the fourth inning. Trailing 4-3, the Cats scored seven times to break the game wide open. Padgett singled twice in the inning to extend the hitting merry-go-round. NU sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning and took command of the game.
“We strung a bunch of hits together,” sophomore Andy Adams said. “Once we got a lead, we could just ride that a little bit.”
Adams made the most of a rare start at third base Tuesday, picking up three hits to lead the team along with Padgett.
Adams and Padgett said the team stayed loose and relaxed during the win.
Padgett said he enjoyed Tuesday’s game and was particularly happy to get the start and be able to showcase himself after spending the season backing up star catcher Joe Hietpas.
“Playing behind Joe — because he’s one of the best catchers in Division I — you don’t get many chances,” Padgett said, “so it was a lot of fun.”
Adams, meanwhile, said coach Paul Stevens told him Sunday that he would start against the Crusaders. But Adams said he did not want to blow the news out of proportion.
“I can’t tell you how many games I’ve played in my life,” Adams said.
Given the chance, Adams responded with the bat, as did his teammates.
NU scored nearly as many runs Tuesday as it did in a four-game series against Minnesota last weekend. In fact, the Cats’ offensive output was their best since a 21-hit performance against Northern Illinois in the season opener.
Adams said NU’s offense snapped out of its slump after a two-hour hitting session in practice Thursday before the Minnesota series.
The Cats put up respectable numbers against the Golden Gophers — especially during Saturday’s doubleheader, which they swept 4-2 and 8-2 — and Padgett said the offense is back in good shape after Tuesday’s shellacking of Valparaiso.
“We’ve all seen it happen before,” said Padgett of NU’s hitting spree, “and it’s great to see that spark again.”
What’s more, the Cats finally gave starter Zach Schara some run support. Schara, the team’s No. 1 starter all season, has pitched strongly in each of NU’s first three Big Ten weekend matchups only to see the opposing pitcher shut down the Cats’ bats. In three conference starts, NU scored just one run for Schara.
But Schara, making a rare mid-week appearance, received all the help he needed Tuesday, pitching four innings for the win.
Padgett said the offensive surge is coming at the right time, giving the team a chance to make a push in the conference.
“To come out and pound a team is (always) going to help,” Padgett said. “Looks like we’re going up.”
