Tuesday, April 11

Evanston, Ill.

3:30 p.m.

Northwestern

11-20

Western Michigan

13-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Western Michigan	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	0	0	4	9	3
Northwestern	1	2	1	0	0	1	3	3	X	11	14	1

'Cats Blast Three Home Runs, Win Third Straight

4/11/2017 7:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Highlights

EVANSTON, Ill. — Jack Claeys, Connor Lind, and Leo Kaplan all ripped home runs as Northwestern topped Western Michigan, 11-4, at Miller Park to pick up the team's third straight win.

Northwestern (11-20) had three home runs in a game for the first time since April 9^,2016, at Nebraska. The Wildcats were dominant on the mound, striking out 10 Western Michigan (13-15) batters, the fifth time this season that NU has recorded double-digit strikeouts.

Northwestern got off to a quick start against the Broncos. Claeys singled to the left side scoring Jack Dunn to take a 1-0 lead in the first. The Wildcats then loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning, before a Ben Dickey grounder found its way past the Broncos' second baseman to bring in two more runs.

Matt Hopfner led off the third inning with a double. Jake Schieber followed with his second double of the game, a career high, plating Hopfner to extend the Wildcat advantage to 4-0.

Josh Davis (2-1) got the start for Northwestern, and had a career performance, matching a career-high 6.0 innings pitched and tallying a personal best five strikeouts, while allowing three runs on six scattered six hits.

Western Michigan cut the deficit to 4-3 after the top of the sixth, but the Wildcats scratched right back. Kaplan hit the Wildcats' fourth double of the game, advancing to third, and then scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.

Richard Fordon entered from the pen in the seventh with the bases loaded and two away. The #B1GCats' left-hander drew a pop fly to get out of the jam and then procedded to strike out the side in the eighth.

Hopfner led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, before Claeys and Lind ripped back-to-back home runs, pushing the lead to four runs at 8-4.

The power continued in the eighth, when Kaplan pulled a three-run shot over the left field fence, his first-career home run.

Cooper Wetherbee came in to pitch the ninth, striking out a pair to seal Northwestern's 11-4 victory.

Five Northwestern players finished with multi-hit performances, including Claeys and Hopfner, who each had three hits, while Bourbon, Kaplan and Schieber each recorded a pair.

The Wildcats have won five of six home games for the first time since 2010.

Northwestern heads to Peoria tomorrow to face Bradley at 7 p.m. CT.