#7 Northwestern Rallies to Beat #2 Michigan in B1G Tournament

5/24/2017 5:01:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Seventh-seeded Northwestern scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to stage a come-from-behind, 6-4, victory over No. 2 Michigan Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the 2017 Big Ten Baseball Tournament.

The win in the conference tournament was Northwestern's first since the 2006 season. The Wildcats will meet No. 3 Minnesota on Thursday, May 25, in the second round at 7:30 p.m. CT.

With the Wildcats trailing, 4-3, heading into their final at-bats, Michigan turned the ball over to one of the Big Ten's best closers in Jackson Lamb. Lamb had not allowed an earned run in 25 appearances this season.

Jack Claeys led the inning off with a single to right field, before head coach Spencer Allen pinch ran Charlie Maxwell. A wild pitch moved Maxwell to second and a single from Connor Lind put runners on the corners. Following a Leo Kaplan walk to load the bases, Ben Dickey singled home the game-tying run to make it a 4-4 ballgame. Grant Peikert smoked a ball to the Wolverines' shortstop in the next at-bat that brought home the go-ahead run. Alex Erro added an insurance run with a RBI-single up the middle that scored Dickey and put the Wildcats up 6-4.

Senior Pete Hofman closed the door in the bottom of the ninth and picked up his fourth save of the season. Sam Lawrence (4-3) was credited with the win after working 3.0-scoreless innings of relief, striking out three and only allowing one hit.

Northwestern (25-28) outhit No. 15/16 nationally-ranked Michigan (42-14) by an 11-8 margin at Bart Kaufman Field.

Erro led the way for the Wildcats at the plate with a 2-for-5, three-RBI performance that included a two-run home run in the top of the third. Junior Connor Lind was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Dickey and Peikert each tallied RBI.

Leo Kaplan and Jack Claeys each tallied two hits on the afternoon. Kaplan had a career-high two doubles, while Claeys notched on two-bagger.

Northwestern struck first in the game off of Connor Lind's solo home run in the top of the second, but Michigan answered in the bottom half of the frame to make it 1-1.

The tie did not last long as Erro's two-run shot over the right field fence in the top of the third put the Wildcats back in front, 3-1. Again, Michigan would answer, but this time with a solo home run that brought the Wolverines within a run.

Michigan took its first lead, 4-3, of the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth by scoring a pair of runs, one unearned. The Wolverines held the lead until Northwestern's three-run ninth inning.

Senior Cooper Wetherbee started for Northwestern and went 5.0 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits, while striking out four batters and walking two.