Already trailing by eight runs in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game, Northwestern leftfielder David Gresky’s patience was draining out of him as quickly as his frustration was mounting.
The NU infield had just committed another error, and a batter earlier, Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Matt Houk had homered over Gresky’s head to lead off the inning.
When Panthers’ cleanup man Eric Goerdt then launched the second home run of the inning in Gresky’s direction, the leftfielder didn’t budge an inch, keeping his eyes on his shoelaces.
“I wasn’t exactly hanging my head as much as I was just like, ‘That was a bomb,'” Gresky said. “It wasn’t even worth turning around.”
For Gresky, that moment captured the entire game for the Wildcats (20-27), who fell 13-5 to Wisconsin-Milwaukee (25-13) at Rocky Miller Park.
“It’s not that we gave up or anything,” Gresky said. “But this one really snuck up on us and we sucked.”
It was one of those afternoons that made scattered fans in the crowd – friends and family members obligated to stick the game out – wonder aloud if the NCAA supports a mercy rule.
NU starter Chris Spiering lasted only 3 1/3 innings. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which boasts seven starters hitting over .300, batted around in consecutive frames. And Spiering and his relievers were able to retire the Panthers in order only twice.
On the field, the Cats played their part in the rout by booting six balls for errors – one of their worst outings this season.
After losing their last two games in a crucial weekend series against Iowa, the Cats needed a victory Tuesday to launch them into a meeting with Penn State this weekend, where their postseason fate may be decided.
But while playing the part of underdogs in the heat of a playoff race, NU found it difficult to gear up for an otherwise meaningless nonconference game.
“After the weekend, after having the big adrenaline rush playing the Big Ten teams, where every run counts so big, sometimes I think these midweek games are just there to continue practicing,” Gresky said. “I feel like if we played the way we do on the weekend sometimes in the Tuesday games, we’d be doing a hell of a lot better.”
NU held a brief lead in the game when Brandon Ackley doubled home Wes Robinson in the second inning. But the advantage was short-lived, as the Panthers began drilling away at Spiering in the top of the third.
By the time the fifth inning ended, Wisconsin-Milwaukee had collected 12 runs on just as many hits.
The game then dragged on in 80-degree heat for another 45 minutes until its merciful conclusion – Gresky dribbled into a game-ending double play to snuff out a last-second rally.
After the game, NU coach Paul Stevens collected his players in the dugout for an uncharacteristically lengthy postgame chat.
“I felt long-winded today, so I thought I would just keep them in there and chat with them for a little while,” Stevens said. “Was that the longest? Nah. I only repeated myself like eight times, where I can (sometimes) repeat myself 12-15 times.”
Stevens has the unenviable task of making sure the Cats leave the mental lapses and poor pitching in Evanston this weekend, while gently stroking what remains of their confidence.
“He was just trying to keep our heads up,” third baseman Wes Robinson said. “We want to go in (to Penn State) with a positive attitude because this series is the biggest series of the year for us.”
Robinson’s hitting was one of the lone bright spots for NU Tuesday.
The senior has struggled at the plate all season, repeatedly taking pitches to the elbow. Although he brought a .252 batting average into the game, Robinson, sporting a large, white pad on his arm, went 3-for-4 against the Panthers. He stroked a pair of doubles and scored three of NU’s five runs.
Robinson can only hope that he will have an opportunity to make a difference with his bat against Penn State.
“We needed this win to bring some confidence into the weekend,” he said. “We won’t bring a negative attitude by any means, but this loss hurt pretty bad.”
