Paul Snieder got his eighteenth save on Tuesday, setting the school’s record for the most career saves as the Wildcats topped the Chicago State Cougars for NU’s fourteenth win.
The Cats (14-23, 5-10 Big Ten) beat Chicago State University (5-28, 3-9 Great West), 12-7. Snieder came in early in the eighth inning to close out the game but said he had no idea he was about to set the school record.
“I’m thrilled for him,” coach Paul Stevens said. “He does a lot of good things so I’m expecting him to get to at least 24 (saves) this season.”
After Chicago State scored four runs in the top of the second inning, the Cats responded with a three-run rally led by freshman Reid Hunter. The third baseman hit an RBI triple down the left field line, followed by RBI singles from both sophomore catcher Jake Straub and redshirt junior Zach Morton.
Snieder also contributed to the Cats’ twelve-run offense. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Snieder hit an RBI single, giving the Cats their first lead of the game.
“With the bases loaded and one out, I was trying to get the ball into the outfield,” Snieder said. “You have to be a little protective with two strikes, but I found a hole up the middle and put it in play.”
The Cougars would score three more runs in the fifth inning to tie the game but the Cats came storming back in the seventh. Freshman Luke Dauch hit a single to score the go-ahead runs, recording his second and third RBIs of the night.
“I just wanted to get the job done,” Dauch said. “I was excited that (the ball) went through.”
Chicago State allowed 15 Wildcat hits and would go through seven different pitchers. Stevens said the Cats’ offense was a carry-over from their performance this past weekend against Michigan, when they took two out of the three-game series.
“The bottom line is that the ball found holes,” Stevens said. “They’ve been swinging and executing. We did a good job of getting (the runners) in.”
The Cats would score three more runs in the eighth inning and brought Snieder in to close out the game.
“I’m used to coming in late in the game,” Snieder said. “I was trying to hold the lead, throw strikes, and get them to put the ball in play.”
Stevens said the team has to maintain the offense it has shown both last weekend and in Tuesday’s game in order to win their upcoming games against North Central and Illinois.
“We just have to do the same thing we’ve been doing,” Stevens said. “We get a lot of two out hits and this makes us successful because we find a way to score and it deflates the other team.”
Dauch said that the team just has to keep the momentum going and to come into games with the same approach.
“We won the series (last weekend) and then today’s game so we have to keep the train running into the weekend against U of I,” Dauch said. “If we come out swinging, score runs and pitch well, that’s the formula to win.”
