Northwestern opened its weekend series at Purdue with a seven-run comeback Friday, but could not muster the same success in losses during Saturday’s doubleheader.
The Wildcats (21-24, 10-14 Big Ten) won the first game of the series 8-6, but they fell 5-3 and 7-5 in the ensuing two games to drop their fifth consecutive series. The Boilermakers (28-19, 9-15 Big Ten) got off to quick offensive starts in all three games, scoring a combined 10 runs in the first three innings throughout the series.
In game one, NU and the Boilermakers each scored one run in the first inning. Graduate student right-hander Sam Hliboki started for the ’Cats, pitching 5.1 innings. In the third inning, Purdue scored four runs, including a three-run home run from Aaron Manias, to take a 5-1 lead.
Freshman right-hander Jack Grunkemeyer entered in the sixth inning as NU trailed 6-2. He pitched 0.2 innings, finishing the inning by inducing a double play. The ’Cats responded with a seventh-inning rally.
NU loaded the bases, scoring their first two runs of the inning off of hit-by-pitches. Soon after, graduate student infielder Jacob Hand singled to cut the deficit to 6-5. Senior catcher Bennett Markinson led the way with a three-RBI double to take the lead. Markinson went 1-of-3 on the day and 4-of-11 in the series.
The ’Cats did not surrender any more runs in the final three innings, earning Grunkemeyer his second win of the season and graduate student left-hander Crawford Wade his fourth save.
Friday’s win was NU’s 10th conference win of the year, its most in a season since 2022, when the team also tallied 10 victories. With six Big Ten games remaining in coach Ben Greenspan’s second season, the ’Cats have more than doubled last year’s 4-20 conference record and have a chance to surpass 10 Big Ten wins for the first time since 2021.
In Saturday’s double-header, NU once again found themselves trailing early in both games. In the opening game, Purdue led 5-0 entering the ninth inning. Freshman left-hander Christian Forniss started, allowing one run and three hits in 4.2 innings.
Sophomore infielder Ryan Kucherak went 2-4 in the game and 3-10 in the series, including an RBI double in the ninth inning. He then scored off a Markinson single. The ’Cats scored three runs in the inning to trim the lead, but they could not overcome the initial five-run deficit and lost 5-3.
In the final game of the series, the Boilermakers scored three first-inning runs. Freshman right-hander Matthew Kouser allowed four runs and four hits in four innings pitched, putting NU behind.
Hand got the ’Cats on the board with a two-run single in the second inning. Purdue added runs in the third and seventh innings to take a 5-3 lead, but NU narrowed the deficit to 5-4 after junior outfielder Jack Lausch’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
The Boilermakers added two runs in the eighth to extend their lead to three runs. Markinson drove in a run in the ninth inning, his sixth RBI of the series, but it proved insignificant as the ’Cats fell 7-5.
NU is back in action Friday at Wrigley Field, kicking off a three-game home series against Ohio State.
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