After watching their team lose 6-5 to the visiting Pittsburg Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, Milwaukee Brewers fans probably didn’t feel they had gotten great value out of their tickets. Those that stuck around Miller Park for the nightcap of Northwestern’s doubleheader against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, though, were treated to something priceless: perfection.
For six relief innings Wednesday night, freshman Jack Havey pitched perfectly, allowing nothing but exasperation from the Panthers’ hitters. The dominating display rewarded fans that waited the four hours after the Brewers contest ended to see the Wildcats defeat the Panthers, 4-1, in a seven-inning abbreviated game.
“He was worth the price of admission,” coach Paul Stevens said of Havey after the game.
“If you were a fan, you got your money’s worth because he put on a show. That was something special.”
Senior Wisconsin native and Brewers fan Joe Muraski pitched the first inning, allowing a run on one hit.
After Muraski exited, Havey entered the game to face Milwaukee’s dangerous leadoff hitter, junior Sam Sivilotti, whose .430 batting average led the team. Sivilotti had gone 2-3 with a run and an RBI in the first game of the doubleheader, but Havey promptly struck him out swinging, offering the Panthers a hint of how the night would unfold. Havey recorded eight strikeouts, including the final batter of the game, bookending a sparkling performance by getting the first and last Panther batters he faced to flail futilely at his pitches.
“I felt a little better than usual,” Havey said of his command, “maybe because of the extra excitement of the venue.”
As fun as it was to play, the game was also captivating to watch for Havey’s coach, who let himself marvel at his young pitcher, if only just for a little bit.
“From a baseball purist perspective, that was absolutely amazing,” Stevens said. “Koufax-like. Now we have to go back to work and see how he can improve.”
NU needed a strong showing from its pitchers in order to bounce back from the 9-0 loss in the first game, when the Panthers pounded the Cats for 14 hits. In that game, freshman Luke Farrell and three relievers got a firsthand view of one of the best offenses in the country. A couple of hours later, though, that same Panthers lineup was perplexed and overmatched against Havey.
Stevens said he was proud of the way his team responded after the first game defeat.
“In the first inning (of the second game), once again we go down 1-0,” he said. “We very easily could have sat there and said ‘Here we go again’ and let it get out of hand. But the dugout was excited, guys were aggressive, we put up a couple runs and Jack was throwing lights-out and we got some momentum. This team has persevered through a lot of things and they always find a way to keep battling in the face of adversity.” In the second game, the Cats’ bats came alive, as they collected 10 hits, including two from sophomore Trevor Stevens, who was hitting out of the leadoff spot in the lineup. The shortstop described Havey’s performance as “amazing,” and said that the pitcher’s swift work on the mound helped the defense stay alert and kept the team in rhythm.
To support their pitcher, the Cats offense provided clutch hits, including back-to-back extra base knocks with two outs in the fourth inning. Sophomore Chris Kontos doubled to score junior Chris Lashmet, and then freshman Colby Everett tripled to plate Kontos.
“We got hits with runners in scoring position,” Trevor Stevens said. “That was big for us.”Coach Stevens said he hoped the game was a harbinger of things to come for Havey and the Cats.
“When you do extraordinary things like he did, you have to stand up and take notice,” Stevens said. “He gave us a glimpse of what, hopefully, he will be doing for a couple more years here at Northwestern. I’m loving what I’m seeing lately.”[email protected]
