Sunday, February 28
Stockton, Calif.
2 p.m.
Northwestern
4-4
14
at
5
Pacific
2-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
4
3
2
1
0
3
1
0
14
16
1
Pacific Tigers
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
5
11
3
Northwestern's Offensive Explosion Evens Series with Pacific
2/29/2016 5:41:00 PM | Baseball
STOCKTON, Calif. — Northwestern's offense exploded for a season-high 14 runs and 16 hits Sunday afternoon to roll past Pacific, 14-5, and split the series with the Tigers.
Northwestern (4-4) had nine players record hits in the game, with freshman Willie Bourbon leading the way on a 4-for-5, four-RBI performance. Bourbon finished the game a home run shy of the cycle and improved his season-hit total to eight and his RBI total to a team-best seven.
All nine batters in Northwestern's starting lineup tallied at least one run batted in. Grant Peikert (two RBIs) was the only other Wildcat to record multiple RBIs in the game.
Lucas Halstead and Nate Verlin each had three hits for Pacific (2-6) in the losing effort. Bryce Lombardi started for the Tigers earned his second loss of the season.
Cooper Wetherbee got the start on the mound for the Wildcats and went 2.1 innings, striking out two and surrendering four runs. Senior Jake Stolley (1-0) was the winning pitcher of record. The lefty came out of the bullpen to throw 4.2 innings, striking out three batters and limiting the Tigers to one run.
Dan Kubiuk struck out one batter in two-scoreless innings of work to finish the game.
Northwestern used a four-run second inning to jumpstart the afternoon's scoring. Connor Lind and Peikert both picked up an RBI in the frame, while Bourbon hit a double to right field to bring in two runs.
The Tigers cut into the Wildcats' lead in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 4-2 ballgame heading into the third inning.
With runners on first and second and two outs, Bourbon came to the plate and sliced a triple to left center that brought in both runners to put Northwestern in front, 6-2. Peikert singled in the next at bat to bring in Bourbon and give Northwestern its third run of the inning.
After allowing Pacific to score two runs in the bottom of the third, Northwestern answered with RBI singles from Matt Hopfner and Jack Claeys in the top half of the fourth.
Hopfner recorded three singles in the game and scored a pair of runs. This was Hopfner's second three-hit game of the season.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning to bring the run tally to 10-5 in Northwestern's favor. Freshman Ben Dickey singled home Bourbon to record his sixth hit of the season and fourth RBI of the campaign.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, the Wildcats scored four-unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Jack Dunn, who went 3-for-6 with a pair of runs scored, singled home Bourbon for the Wildcats' first run of the seventh inning. A Zach Jones ground out brought home Peikert who was on base after a walk.
Joe Hoscheit singled in the next at bat gave Northwestern a 13-5 lead.
The Wildcats final run of the day came in the eighth inning when Pacific was called for a balk and RJ Watters, who was on third base after hitting a single earlier in the inning, was awarded home plate.
Northwestern's 14 runs were the most they have scored in a win since putting up 19 against Minnesota (March 29) last season.
Northwestern's mid-week contest against UIC has been postponed due to weather conditions. The Wildcats will head to Port Charlotte, Fla., next weekend (March 4-6) to play in the Snowbird Classic against Division-II Saint Leo, Butler, Boston College and Illinois State.
Northwestern (4-4) had nine players record hits in the game, with freshman Willie Bourbon leading the way on a 4-for-5, four-RBI performance. Bourbon finished the game a home run shy of the cycle and improved his season-hit total to eight and his RBI total to a team-best seven.
All nine batters in Northwestern's starting lineup tallied at least one run batted in. Grant Peikert (two RBIs) was the only other Wildcat to record multiple RBIs in the game.
Lucas Halstead and Nate Verlin each had three hits for Pacific (2-6) in the losing effort. Bryce Lombardi started for the Tigers earned his second loss of the season.
Cooper Wetherbee got the start on the mound for the Wildcats and went 2.1 innings, striking out two and surrendering four runs. Senior Jake Stolley (1-0) was the winning pitcher of record. The lefty came out of the bullpen to throw 4.2 innings, striking out three batters and limiting the Tigers to one run.
Dan Kubiuk struck out one batter in two-scoreless innings of work to finish the game.
Northwestern used a four-run second inning to jumpstart the afternoon's scoring. Connor Lind and Peikert both picked up an RBI in the frame, while Bourbon hit a double to right field to bring in two runs.
The Tigers cut into the Wildcats' lead in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 4-2 ballgame heading into the third inning.
With runners on first and second and two outs, Bourbon came to the plate and sliced a triple to left center that brought in both runners to put Northwestern in front, 6-2. Peikert singled in the next at bat to bring in Bourbon and give Northwestern its third run of the inning.
After allowing Pacific to score two runs in the bottom of the third, Northwestern answered with RBI singles from Matt Hopfner and Jack Claeys in the top half of the fourth.
Hopfner recorded three singles in the game and scored a pair of runs. This was Hopfner's second three-hit game of the season.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning to bring the run tally to 10-5 in Northwestern's favor. Freshman Ben Dickey singled home Bourbon to record his sixth hit of the season and fourth RBI of the campaign.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, the Wildcats scored four-unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Jack Dunn, who went 3-for-6 with a pair of runs scored, singled home Bourbon for the Wildcats' first run of the seventh inning. A Zach Jones ground out brought home Peikert who was on base after a walk.
Joe Hoscheit singled in the next at bat gave Northwestern a 13-5 lead.
The Wildcats final run of the day came in the eighth inning when Pacific was called for a balk and RJ Watters, who was on third base after hitting a single earlier in the inning, was awarded home plate.
Northwestern's 14 runs were the most they have scored in a win since putting up 19 against Minnesota (March 29) last season.
Northwestern's mid-week contest against UIC has been postponed due to weather conditions. The Wildcats will head to Port Charlotte, Fla., next weekend (March 4-6) to play in the Snowbird Classic against Division-II Saint Leo, Butler, Boston College and Illinois State.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stolley, Jake (1-0)
L: LOMBARDI, Bryce (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Bourbon, Willie 1
3B: Bourbon, Willie 1
RBI: Dunn, Jack 1 ; Jones, Zach 1 ; Hoscheit, Joe 1 ; Hopfner, Matt 1 ; Claeys, Jack 1 ; Lind, Connor 1 ; Bourbon, Willie 4 ; Peikert, Grant 2 ; Dickey, Ben 1
SH: Dickey, Ben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dunn, Jack 2 ; Hoscheit, Joe 1 ; Hopfner, Matt 2 ; Claeys, Jack 2 ; Watters, RJ 1 ; Lind, Connor 1 ; Bourbon, Willie 4 ; Peikert, Grant 1
SB: Dunn, Jack 1 ; Jones, Zach 1
CS: Peikert, Grant 1
HBP: Claeys, Jack 1
Batting:
2B: BRUSA, Gio 1 ; HALSTEAD, Lucas 1 ; SANDRI, Kevin 1
RBI: BRUSA, Gio 1 ; HALSTEAD, Lucas 1 ; VERLIN, Nate 1 ; SANDRI, Kevin 1 ; BORAS, Jimmy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MAYER, Danny 1 ; BRUSA, Gio 1 ; WAGNER, JJ 1 ; HALSTEAD, Lucas 1 ; SANDRI, Kevin 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
4
H
4
RBI
4
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
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C
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OF
/ BaseballLHP/OF
/ BaseballOF/C
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1B/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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3B
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
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OF
/ Baseball
LHP
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