Northwestern jumped out to a 2-0, first-inning lead against host Michigan on Friday but was shut out the rest of the game to take a 6-2 loss.
This sent the Wildcats into Saturday’s doubleheader with a 12-game losing streak and their two star starters, Dan Brauer and George Kontos, scheduled to take the hill.
“Anytime you got Brauer and Kontos going, you fully expect to win,” coach Paul Stevens said.
This weekend the two pitchers fulfilled Stevens’ expectations, each turning in a complete-game victory and propelling NU (6-16, 3-1 Big Ten) to sweep the last three games of the series against the Wolverines (12-10, 1-3).
In the first game Saturday, Brauer turned in his most dominating performance since his six-inning, one-hit outing against South Florida on Feb. 11.
Brauer went the distance and struck out seven Wolverine hitters in the 5-0 win.
He said the plan going into the game was to work the Michigan hitters away, trying to hit the outside corner of the plate.
“I was able to get ahead of some hitters, and my curveball came around after the second or third inning,” he said. “I started to break off a couple good curveballs when I needed them for strikes.”
In the second game, Kontos ran into a little more resistance than Brauer but was able to work his way out of it.
Trailing 4-2 in the fourth inning, the Wolverines loaded the bases with nobody out.
“In the past, I’d try to throw harder to get the guys out,” he said. “(On Saturday), I tried to focus on hitting my spots: My velocity would be there regardless.”
Kontos induced two pop outs and caught second baseman Kevin Cislo looking on a 3-2 pitch to escape the inning unscathed.
After posting a 6.46 ERA in the non-conference season, NU’s pitching staff registered a 2.90 ERA in taking three of its first four conference contests.
Along with the strong pitching performances, the Cats bats woke up.
They scored early and often, setting the tone of the games with first-inning offensive explosions. NU scored 13 first-inning runs during the four-game set. It scored only two in its first 18 games.
“Those energizing breakfasts that we had just put (the players) in the state of mind to go hunting for Wolverine,” Stevens said. “Scoring those runs early was definitely the difference in our pitching staff throwing the way that it’s capable and having confidence to go out there and do the things that they do.”
The Cats relied on manufacturing runs to win games. The team had only three extra-base hits during the series but moved the runners along with sacrifices, recording six.
Outfielder Anthony Wycklendt said this was a change from the early season.
“When we had guys in scoring position, we had a tendency to leave them on base,” he said. “This weekend we did a good job when we got guys into scoring position not trying to do much (and) just putting the ball in play.”
Wycklendt, who led the team in RBIs last season, showed signs of breaking out of his season-long slump.
The senior batted .333 for the series, raising his season average to .238, and drove in three runs.
“I’m seeing the ball really well right now,” he said. “Everything I’m hitting is solid, even my outs I’m hitting well.”
While the Cats said their road wins against Michigan don’t erase the memory of a 3-15 start, they do give them a much-needed boost to start the conference schedule.
“It was hard to get through all those losses, but I don’t ever think the team lost confidence,” Brauer said. “We feel like we can be successful in the Big Ten.”
Reach David Morrison at [email protected].
