Just as it did last weekend in Michigan, the Northwestern baseball team came back from being down two games to none to win the third contest.
But this trip to Indiana was different, thanks to the performances of a couple of bench players who helped spark the NU comeback.
In his sixth start at first base this season, junior Jason Krynski helped NU (25-23, 15-14 Big Ten) notch a 5-3 victory over Indiana (33-20, 16-15) in the third game of the series on Sunday. Krynski finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the final game of the regular season.
Freshman Anthony Wycklendt, usually a midweek presence, started three games at third base and was
3 of 4 with a home run in NU’s 11-9 game two loss on Sunday.
But winning one game on Sunday was all the Cats needed to secure the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. NU will face No. 4 seed Penn State at 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minn.
After dominating the first two games, Indiana could have clinched the No. 3 seed by beating NU on Sunday. But with Sunday’s loss, the Hoosiers fell to the No. 6 spot in the close conference standings, just one-hundredth of a point behind the Cats.
Thunderstorms in Bloomington, Ind., forced the teams to cancel Saturday’s doubleheader. To make up for the canceled contests, another game was added to Sunday’s bill.
“We got to work on some things on the off time,” NU coach Paul Stevens said.
Indiana crushed NU on Friday 7-0, as pitcher Chris Behrens held the Cats to only five hits in a complete-game shut out victory.
Shortstop Jon Mikrut had three of NU’s five hits. For the afternoon, the sophomore went 3-for-3 with one double and one stolen base.
Krynski and Wycklendt were the only other NU players to tally a hit in the 7-0 shutout.
Perhaps having Saturday off allowed the Cats to heat up their bats. After not scoring a run on Friday, NU rallied to tie the score 5-5 in game two in the third inning.
“When I got called on, I went out and played hard and did what I could do,” Wycklendt said. “It was only a matter of time before we got our hitting going again.”
But an NU victory wasn’t in the cards as Indiana brought in five more runs in the fourth inning and went on to the 11-9 victory.
Besides changing the infield lineup, Stevens also called for changes in the pitching rotation this weekend. Sophomore J.A. Happ stepped on the mound Friday for the Cats in the opening game, which junior Dan Konecny usually pitches.
Although Konecny was scheduled to throw the first game on Saturday, the rainouts caused Stevens to pull the right-hander on Sunday to preserve him for Wednesday’s tournament game.
“Once Saturday’s games were canceled, there was no point in throwing him today, ” Stevens said. “He would have thrown a great game, but it wasn’t worth fatiguing his arm.”
The freshman duo of Dan Brauer and Mark Ori pitched games two and three. In 3 2/3 innings of play, Brauer allowed 10 runs, five earned. Junior Dan Pohlman, who started last week, relieved Brauer in the fourth inning and held the Hoosiers to only one more run.
Pitching a complete game three, Ori struck out four batters.
Although the Cats fell short of their goal of second place in the conference, they’re satisfied with finishing in the top six and earning the tournament bid.
“We’re thrilled with the opportunity to prove people wrong, and go to the tournament” Stevens said. “If you would have asked us at the beginning of the season to be in this position, I would have said ‘heck yes.'”
