Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Texas Tech
Youth is Served! 'Cats Take Down Texas Tech 12-7
2/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 9, 2007
Box Score
LUBBOCK, Texas - Northwestern's baseball team opened up the 2007 season with a gutsy 12-7 win against Big XII opponent Texas Tech. Senior left-hander Dan Schwartz held the Red Raiders without a hit through the first six innings, but needed a little help to earn his first win of the season. NU out-hit Tech 19-6 in the game.
Freshman Jake Goebbert (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) got the Wildcats offensive season started with a one-out single through the left side in the top of second inning. He moved to third when sophomore Tommy Finn (Valparaiso, Ind./Andrean) was walked and freshman Kenneth Avila (Corpus Christi, Texas/W.B. Ray) was hit by a pitch. Goebbert crossed the plate on a Tech fielding error. A fielder's choice ground out ended the inning.
NU tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth on singles by outfielders Aaron Newman (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Caleb Fields (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick). Newman knocked in Avila after the Texas native lined a double to the left field wall. Fields then drove in Newman with his second hit of the game, this one a single through the right side. A strikeout ended the Wildcat threat with the bases loaded.
The Wildcats kept pouring it on when they batted around and scored five runs on six hits in the top of the seventh inning. Avila drove in his first collegiate RBI with a single to left, while second baseman Jake Owens (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) drove a two-RBI, bases-loaded double down the right field line. Owens and Newman (base-on-balls) ended the Wildcats scoring on Antonio Mule's (Lodi, N.J./Lodi) single to center.
Northwestern looked they were going to run away with it until the sixth inning.
After being dominated for six innings, Texas Tech got to starting pitcher Dan Schwartz (New York, N.Y./Northern Valley Regional) in the seventh inning. The Red Raiders plated four runs (two earned) on three hits but were aided by two Wildcat errors. Schwartz was masterful in his first game of the season. The senior lefty did not give up a hit and did not allow a runner to reach second base in the first six complete innings he pitched.
Junior Bo Schultz (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) relieved Schwartz with no outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh inning. He immediately induced a double-play ground ball and following a walk, coaxed another ground ball to end the inning.
Schultz did not fare as well in the eighth inning. He faced just three hitters, all who scored, the third clearing the bases with a two-run home run. Schultz was charged with a balk and a wild pitch in the inning.
Freshman David Jensen (Whittier, Calif./Mater Dei) took over on the mound and three batters later was out of the inning. A fly out, a single, and a groundball double play ended the Texas Tech threat.
After eight complete innings NU led 8-7.
But, like good teams do, the Wildcats came storming back to score four runs in the top of the ninth to all but seal the victory. NU batted around for the second time in the game as four-straight singles to start the inning all came around to score. Goebbert served as the offensive bookends. After sparking the offense in the second inning he ended it when he laced a two-run double to the right centerfield wall. The lined shot put NU ahead 12-7. Mule and Fields each recorded an RBI in the ninth inning as well.
In the bottom half of the inning, Jensen did walk one and hit another, but settled down to earn his first collegiate save. He pitched two complete innings, gave up one hit, struck out one and walked one.
NU is next in action when they play a doubleheader at Texas Tech's Dan Law Field Saturday, Feb. 10. Game one against Western Illinois begins at 11 a.m. with game two against the Red Raiders immediatly following.
GAME NOTES:
In his first collegiate at-bat, freshman Jake Goebbert lined a sharp single through the left side of the infield for his first collegiate hit.
Freshman Kenneth Avila was hit by a pitch in his first collegiate at bat.
Freshman Chad Noble notched his first collegiate hit in NU's five-run seventh inning.
Every offensive starter had at least one hit in the game. Each of the top three in the batting order (Aaron Newman, Jake Owens and Caleb Fields) all had three hits apiece. Not to be outdone, freshman Kenneth Avila also had three hits to go along with his three RBI.
As a whole, the freshman class went 6-for-16 from the plate with six RBI and four runs scored. Not to mention earning the save on the mound.
Northwestern left 16 men on base compared to five for Texas Tech.
