The circumstances in which Paul Snieder walked to the plate for his last at bat Saturday against Michigan State are typically reserved for children’s imaginations and normally play out in a backyard or a Little League field. It was the bottom of the ninth inning and Northwestern was down one run in a wildly dramatic game whose outcome could determine the fate of the Wildcats’ season.
With one swing of the bat, Snieder changed everything for NU (24-30, 13-11 Big Ten). His titanic, game-winning home run over the right-field fence won the game, guaranteed the Cats a berth in the Big Ten Tournament, and transformed the atmosphere at Rocky Miller Park from one of despondence to a raucous, exultant rejoice of triumph. The three-run home run gave NU an 8-6 victory over the Spartans (34-19, 11-13), clinched the series and punched the team’s ticket to Columbus, Ohio, for the Big Ten Tournament this week, where the Cats have not participated since 2006.
As he rounded the bases, his teammates crowded behind home plate to mob him. Snieder tore off his helmet, threw it into the air, jumped up and stomped on the plate, setting off a jubilant eruption on the field and in the stands.
“It feels amazing,” the sophomore said after the game. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I should give a fist pump or a jump. I was like, ‘I’ll just take my time running the bases, a nice slow jog, and then take it out when I get to the plate.'”
It was a fittingly Hollywood ending for a team that has, as coach Paul Stevens would say, “battled” adversity and opposition all year. Dismissed early in the season after compiling a 6-18 record in non conference play, NU took a hyper-competitive Big Ten by surprise, winning 13 of 24 league games and qualifying for the conference tournament on a final-day, walk-off home run at home on Senior Day.
“I don’t have any feeling,” Stevens said after the game. “I’m just numb. I’m so proud of these guys, they never give in and they never give up. Boy oh boy, they did a phenomenal job of not letting anything-anything-deter them from what they ultimately wanted to accomplish.”
Adding to the drama was a controversial call in the bottom of the eighth. With two runners on, Chris Kontos singled to score Zach Morton as Trevor Stevens tried to score from second. Stevens was well ahead of the throw, but was called out by the umpire for interfering with the catcher, who appeared to be blocking the plate prematurely without the ball. Paul Stevens immediately rushed over to argue the call and engaged in a heated argument with the home plate umpire. Both Stevenses were ejected, sending the NU players and crowd into hysterics.
Senior Chad Noble, the Cats’ catcher, was incredulous at the umpire’s decision.
“I almost got tossed (for arguing),” Noble said. “That was a horrible call. First of all, he slid. Second of all, you’re not allowed to block the plate as a catcher unless you have the ball in NCAA. I don’t know what he was thinking.”
The combined 14-run, 24-hit affair was a decisive break from the first two games, both 2-1 pitching duels. NU took the opener behind a nearly complete game effort by junior Eric Jokisch, but Michigan State won game two. In that contest, sophomore Francis Brooke battled Spartans starter Kurt Wunderlich. Brooke, who gave up just one run in 7.1 innings, was victimized by the Cats’ punchless offense, which didn’t get a hit after the third inning. The Spartans scored one run in each of the final two innings, including the winner off Snieder in the ninth, to earn the hard-fought victory.
Snieder and the Cats were much stronger in the series finale. NU jumped on Michigan State early, scoring two runs on sophomore Trevor Stevens’ single to right in the first inning. The Spartans answered back and scored two of their own in the next few innings and the score was tied 2-2 after five. Junior Chris Lashmet’s solo home run to left put the Cats back on top in the sixth, but an inning later starter Joe Muraski was lifted with runners at the corners after giving up two more runs. Michigan State tacked on two again in the eighth off reliever Matt Gailey before Snieder came in to shut down the Spartans.
Noble took part in Senior Day festivities with his four classmates after the game, their last at Rocky Miller Park.
“This game was amazing,” he said. “There’s not a better way we could have ended it.”
