Two freshmen pitched for the Northwestern baseball team on Sunday, but there was no mistaking that it was Senior Day at Rocky Miller Park.
Down 6-0 in their must-win season finale, the Wildcats rallied back for a 9-6 victory and snared the final playoff slot in the Big Ten tournament. Third baseman Steve Haake and designated hitter Todd Morgan – the only seniors in Sunday’s starting lineup – both had key hits in NU’s six-run third inning. Haake belted a two-run homer down the right-field line in the third, and Morgan singled up the middle for an RBI.
But the seniors’ dramatics didn’t cease when the game ended.
In a unique postgame Senior Day celebration, each of the seven NU seniors ran the bases as his accomplishments were read over the public address system. Crossing home plate one last time was fitting for Haake, Morgan and Matt Thompson, but one last trot out to the mound would have been more appropriate for pitchers Andy Adams, Ryan Bos, Gabe Ribas and Zach Schara.
“This senior class sets the tone,” NU head coach Paul Stevens said. “They’re a tremendous asset, and they’re a huge part of the confidence of this team.”
For their part, the seniors are just glad their season isn’t over.
“I feel so much better knowing that we’re going to the tournament,” Schara said. “I didn’t want to go out on a bad note. This has been a special season and we deserve this.”
The three senior starting pitchers had mixed results this weekend, but they have been the team’s foundation all season.
“Obviously (they) have been the leaders,” junior Eric Roeder said. “Zach and Gabe vocally – you can always pick their voices out of the dugout. We look to them every weekend.”
Schara started the series opener Friday, giving up an uncharacteristically high eight runs and throwing a whopping 144 pitches in his final performance at Rocky Miller Park. The Cats lost the game 8-2.
Bos threw a solid game Saturday, yielding just two earned runs in seven innings. But NU didn’t provide him with any run support and the Cats lost 3-0. When he went to the mound in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader, Ribas was well aware of the playoff implications, as well as the emotional ones.
“I wanted to leave a special goodbye,” a choked-up Ribas said after he and the Cats pulled out a 4-1 win. “You can’t put to words how much you put into four years, and I just told myself, ‘Self, don’t save anything on any pitch.’ If I did that, I knew I could give our guys a chance.
“The playoffs are so special, and some of the younger guys don’t realize that. I want to show everyone that this is a damn good team.”
Ribas gave up just one run in the victory.
But in the final game – arguably the most important of the season – a couple of freshmen took over the pitching duties. J.A. Happ and Jon Mikrut threw all nine innings without an earned run (all of Indiana’s six runs were unearned), showing composure that impressed even the seniors.
“I thought they stepped it up tremendously,” Schara said. “J.A. Happ just ripped it up. Those two guys are so mentally tough, it’s ridiculous. I hope they can do what Gabe and Bos and I have done in our four years. Watching them today, I think that’s very likely.”
