Northwestern
6-7
South Carolina-Upstate
11-5
Wildcat Offense Gets Hot but Streak Snapped Sunday
3/8/2020 4:21:00 PM | Baseball
The loss brings the 'Cats to 6-7 on the season and also marks the end of a 13-game series of road trips that opened the year.
Both starting pitchers struggled early. Northwestern's Quinn Lavelle lasted two frames, giving up two runs in the first on a walk and a homerun, and three runs in the second on two walks and two hits.
Meanwhile, the Wildcat bats capitalized on an equally shaky start from Upstate's Johnathan Carlyle. Shawn Goosenberg reached on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the second, then scored on a single from first-year Evan Minarovic. Fellow first-year Luke Tanner notched an RBI single of his own in his collegiate debut, and Charlie Maxwell rounded out the second by driving in Minarvoc for a 3-2 'Cats lead.
After the Spartans put up three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, the Wildcats were quick to mount another comeback. They took advantage of two hit batsmen and three consecutive walks to plate two, then junior Charlie Bourbon drove in the third to put the 'Cats back on top, 6-5.
SCU tied it up again in their half of the third, and the game remained knotted at six until the fifth inning, when the Spartans struck for three more. The Wildcats were hardly out of it, however, as a pair of doubles from Maxwell and Goosenberg added two in the sixth, and a solo shot from Michael Trautwein in the eighth brought the teams back even at nine.
The final blow from the Spartans came after two outs in the bottom of the eighth, when an error allowed for two unearned runs, putting them up 11-9. The 'Cats couldn't put together a final rally, and the game wrapped up after eight and a half.
Northwestern returns to action next weekend for their home opener, when they host Kent State at Rocky and Bernice Miller Park for a two-game set.
NOTES
- Charlie Maxwell went 4-for-6 with a double and an RBI. It was the first four-hit game of his Northwestern career.
- Luke Tanner got the first start of his college career at third base. He went 1-for-5 with an RBI.
- Jack Sauser put together his fourth strong outing of the year, striking out four over three innings of relief. He has yet to allow an earned run in a Northwestern uniform.
- The Wildcats boasted a relatively balanced offense. Six batters got at least one hit, and seven notched at least one RBI.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: WHEELER, Will (2-1)
L: Levy, Josh (0-1)
S: LANCASTER, Will (1)
Batting:
2B: Maxwell, Charlie 1 ; Goosenberg, Shawn 1 ; Trautwein, Michael 1
HR: Trautwein, Michael 1
RBI: Maxwell, Charlie 1 ; Hrustich, Stephen 1 ; Trautwein, Michael 1 ; Minarovic, Evan 3 ; O'Laughlin, Casey 1 ; Tanner, Luke 1 ; Bourbon, Charlie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maxwell, Charlie 1 ; Hrustich, Stephen 1 ; Goosenberg, Shawn 3 ; Trautwein, Michael 3 ; Minarovic, Evan 1
SB: Maxwell, Charlie 1 ; Minarovic, Evan 1
CS: Maxwell, Charlie 1
HBP: Hrustich, Stephen 1 ; Goosenberg, Shawn 2 ; Bourbon, Charlie 1
Batting:
2B: MATTHEWS, Jason 1 ; GALLAGHER, Jack 1 ; DURHAM, Braden 1 ; STEWART, Mason 1
3B: RIP, Julian 1
HR: RIP, Julian 1
RBI: MATTHEWS, Jason 2 ; TAYLOR, Jeff 1 ; BUCKNER, Devin 1 ; RIP, Julian 1 ; GALLAGHER, Jack 3 ; HENNESSY, Jack 2
SH: TAYLOR, Jeff 1
SF: BUCKNER, Devin 1 ; GALLAGHER, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MATTHEWS, Jason 2 ; BUCKNER, Devin 1 ; RIP, Julian 4 ; GALLAGHER, Jack 1 ; DURHAM, Braden 2 ; STEVENS, Garrett 1
SB: RIP, Julian 2 ; HENNESSY, Jack 1
HBP: RIP, Julian 1
