With the Big Ten tournament on the horizon, Northwestern, a bubble team, needed to secure any wins it could muster against Ohio State this weekend. With strong performances from two of its graduate student starting pitchers, right-hander Sam Hliboki and left-hander Blake MacMillan, coach Ben Greenspan’s unit found success.
The Wildcats (23-25, 12-15 Big Ten) emerged victorious from Sunday’s rubber match to take the series against the Buckeyes (12-35, 4-23 Big Ten), adding two wins to their resume over the weekend.
NU had the pleasure of kicking off the series at Wrigley Field on Friday. Off the backs of a complete game by Hliboki and a walk-off hit from sophomore infielder Ryan Kucherak, the ’Cats took a 12-2 victory in seven innings.
“We got there a little early, so we got to soak it in as a team, which was awesome. We got to walk around, take some pictures,” Hliboki said. “It was really cool to get a team victory like that. Our offense put up a good performance.”
Back at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park for game two Saturday, freshman left-hander Christian Forniss started on the mound after a string of solid outings. Forniss did not perform at the same level as Hliboki did the night prior, though.
After allowing a single and a walk to the first two batters of the game, Mason Eckelman hit a three-RBI home run, opening the scoring. Ohio State added on in the next at-bat, as Ryan Miller hit a solo shot to right field, extending the visitors’ lead to four runs. The ’Cats were forced to turn to graduate student left-hander Crawford Wade before the end of the first inning.
NU got a run back in the bottom of the frame that was immediately canceled out in the top of the second.
However, the ’Cats found life early in the third inning. Hits from sophomore outfielder Jackson Freeman and Kucherak knocked in two runs, and a sacrifice fly from junior outfielder Jack Lausch scored another to make it a 5-4 contest with Ohio State ahead.
The hosts kept it a close game for a few innings as both teams had scoreless fourth and fifth innings, but six runs for the Buckeyes between the sixth and seventh innings proved too much for NU to overcome, as they lost game two 11-6.
A day later on Senior Day, the ’Cats wasted no time getting the rubber match going. With two outs in the bottom of the first, senior catcher Bennett Markinson tripled to center field, clearing the bases and scoring three runs.
Markinson had a 3-for-3 day at the plate, with four RBIs and two walks.
“I thought he was patient. He really controlled the strike zone,” Greenspan said. “It led to a few walks, but he also got in favorable counts, and then did damage when he got in those counts.”
NU’s offense continued to be relentless, scoring ten runs between the second and third innings.
MacMillan took care of things on the other side of the ball, pitching a perfect first two innings. After allowing two runs in the third inning, MacMillan didn’t allow any more after his 6.1 total innings of work.
“It was pretty much all fastballs in the first two innings,” MacMillan said. “I ran into a little bit of trouble in the third there, gave up a couple of hits, a couple of barrels. Just had to make a couple adjustments, so the breaking ball in there in the later innings, and I threw a few changeups. Got a good mix and kept them off balance and kept going late in the game.”
The ’Cats tacked on four more runs in the fifth and sixth innings of the game, three of which came off the bat of graduate student utility player Pirmin Brechbuhl in the first home run of his career.
NU ultimately secured the series with a 17-2 victory in seven innings.
Sunday’s tilt was the last home conference game of the season for the ’Cats, who also celebrated an impactful senior class. Major contributors like Knott, Markinson, Hliboki, MacMillan, Wade and graduate student utility player Tyler Ganus were among those honored.
“It’s funny because you have guys that have been here for four or five years, and you have guys that just joined the program two years ago, one year ago,” Greenspan said. “… They set the course for the program this year, and well after they’re gone, they’ve laid a foundation here.”
NU plays its final home game of the season Tuesday against Valparaiso.
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