Baseball: Wildcats drop series to Spartans after falling short in games two and three

 A Big Ten upset the ‘Cats did not see coming. 

With the faint flame of a winning season in their grasp, Northwestern (16-17, 7-8 B1G) entered its weekend series against Michigan State (19-15, 6-9 B1G). Yet the Spartan winds extinguished their hope, leaving the ‘Cats below .500 on the season and searching for a spark once more.

A thrilling 11-inning opening game left the Spartans scrambling through five pitchers while the ‘Cats relied on just three. Graduate student Sam Hliboki opened up the game and lasted six innings for Northwestern.

The gates opened early for the ‘Cats, solidifying a 2-0 lead after singles by junior Owen McElfatrick and sophomore Jackson Freeman. However, Michigan State quickly responded, tying the game after a two-run shot by red-shirt senior Sam Busch.

Fighting back, Northwestern pushed ahead with five unanswered runs through the fourth inning thanks to multiple balks, a single and a sac-fly — obtaining a comfortable 7-2 lead.

The ’Cats and the Spartans continued to trade runs through the next three innings before Northwestern head coach Ben Greenspan switched to graduate pitcher Blake MacMillan one out into the seventh. The graduate student faced six batters—four of which he walked or hit with a pitch—before Greenspan moved to another graduate student, this time Crawford Wade, with a teetering 9-5 lead in the eighth. Spartan runners on first and second already put Wade in a stressful situation. After four pitches, he, too, hit a batter to load the bases.

Under pressure, Wade faltered, issuing four straight balls and a fielder’s choice to score two more Spartans following an RBI single from senior JT Sokolove. Then, an attempted pickoff gave Sokolove the chance to tie the game, while graduate student Caleb Berry advanced to second. With momentum building, Busch lofted a sacrifice fly to center field, handing Michigan State their first lead of the game at 10-9.

Heading into the ninth, the ‘Cats had to fight to stay alive. Their last chance started with sophomore Ryan Kucherak at the plate. Facing graduate student Tyler Horvath, Kucherak took two balls. On the third pitch, he swung big. A deep shot to left-center gave the sophomore his seventh home run of the season, tying the game 10-10. Six outs later, the game went into extra innings.

The Spartans had a glimpse of a walk-off in the tenth, leaving two batters on base, but in the end, it was the ‘Cats who came out on top. An RBI single by sophomore Joshua Ramos put them up by one, and after a swift three-up three-down in the eleventh, Northwestern took the victory heading into Saturday’s contest.

Game two saw an impressive pitcher’s duel between first-year Christian Forniss of the Wildcats and junior Joseph Dzierwa of the Spartans. Both left-handed starters dominated, keeping their opponents scoreless through the first five innings.

The momentum shifted in the sixth with the first pitching change of the game. With one out and a runner on third, junior Amar Tsengeg took the mound for the ‘Cats. After falling behind in the count, Tsengeg allowed a two-run single from Busch, putting Michigan State on the board. Northwestern’s trouble continued after a walk and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Spartan sophomore Parker Picot. On a 1-2 count, Tsengeg surrendered a towering grand slam, pushing Michigan State’s lead to 7-0.

Northwestern, unable to string together hits, remained scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings. Meanwhile, Michigan State kept the pressure on, adding a run in the seventh and securing a dominant 10-0 run-rule victory with Berry’s two RBI walk-off double in the eighth.

Heading into Sunday’s finale, the table was set for either team to take the series.

Similar to game two, both lineups remained scoreless through the fifth inning — credit to the right-handed starters: first-year Matthew Kouser for Northwestern and junior Nolan Higgins for Michigan State.

McElfatrick opened the sixth inning with a double, placing Northwestern in scoring position. Junior Trent Liolios followed with a groundout to second, advancing the ‘Cats closer to home. With a full count, Freeman delivered an RBI groundout to the right side, bringing McElfatrick across the plate for the game’s first run — Northwestern taking a 1-0 lead.

The Spartans quickly responded with a lead-off double by Sokolove, followed by sophomore Ryan McKay trading places with another double to bring the senior home and tie the game 1-1. After one out, Busch doubled down the right field line, scoring the go-ahead run. Two more singles, a run and a walk prompted Northwestern to bring in first-year Jack Grunkmeyer to replace Kouser on the mound. With one out, junior Randy Seymour rolled into a double play, allowing Northwestern to escape the frame without further damage.

The final three innings played out similarly to the first five, empty-handed on both sides. Northwestern, unable to rally back, finished the game with one runner left on base — the Spartans winning 3-1.

Following their tough defeat, Northwestern will welcome in-state foe Northern Illinois to Rocky and Berenice Miller Park on April 15, before traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska for a three-game series against the Cornhuskers.