
'Cats Sweep St. Thomas on Opening Day
3/13/2022 5:45:00 PM | Baseball
Evanston, IL - Northwestern raised the curtain on their home slate at Rocky & Berenice Miller Park on Sunday afternoon, as the Wildcats swept St. Thomas in a doubleheader.
Another gem from Sean Sullivan helped Northwestern dominate the first game of the day in a 9-0 victory, before the 'Cats used some late-game heroics to defeat the Tommies 3-2 on a walk-off balk.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Week earlier this season, Sullivan didn't disappoint in his Evanston debut - the Northwestern first-year tossed a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts in the seven-inning affair. The Andover, Massachusetts native lowered his ERA this season to a sparkling 1.71 with another impressive outing.
On offense, the Wildcats were led by Tommy D'Alise - who jacked a pair of home runs to get the Wildcats rolling on Sunday. His four RBIs were a season-high for D'Alise, who moved into a share of the team lead with his second and third home run of the season.
In the second game of the afternoon, a solo shot from Stephen Hrutsich gave Northwestern some early offense and Michael Farinelli turned in another solid start to keep the Wildcats in the game. The Middlebury transfer tossed six innings of two-run baseball and struck out five.
In the ninth inning, trailing 2-1, the Wildcats loaded the bases after a pair of St. Thomas errors, before Andrew Pinkston stepped into the box with one out. On an 0-2 count, a balk allowed Hrutsich to score and deliver Northwestern's first walk-off win of the season.
The Wildcats improved to 4-10 in 2022 with Sunday's sweep. Northwestern is back in action on Saturday for a doubleheader to kick off a three-game series against Evansville at Miller Park.
Another gem from Sean Sullivan helped Northwestern dominate the first game of the day in a 9-0 victory, before the 'Cats used some late-game heroics to defeat the Tommies 3-2 on a walk-off balk.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Week earlier this season, Sullivan didn't disappoint in his Evanston debut - the Northwestern first-year tossed a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts in the seven-inning affair. The Andover, Massachusetts native lowered his ERA this season to a sparkling 1.71 with another impressive outing.
On offense, the Wildcats were led by Tommy D'Alise - who jacked a pair of home runs to get the Wildcats rolling on Sunday. His four RBIs were a season-high for D'Alise, who moved into a share of the team lead with his second and third home run of the season.
In the second game of the afternoon, a solo shot from Stephen Hrutsich gave Northwestern some early offense and Michael Farinelli turned in another solid start to keep the Wildcats in the game. The Middlebury transfer tossed six innings of two-run baseball and struck out five.
In the ninth inning, trailing 2-1, the Wildcats loaded the bases after a pair of St. Thomas errors, before Andrew Pinkston stepped into the box with one out. On an 0-2 count, a balk allowed Hrutsich to score and deliver Northwestern's first walk-off win of the season.
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— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) March 13, 2022
The magic of college baseball ?#GoCats | @d1baseball | @11point7 pic.twitter.com/Ukqo5IrzV9
The Wildcats improved to 4-10 in 2022 with Sunday's sweep. Northwestern is back in action on Saturday for a doubleheader to kick off a three-game series against Evansville at Miller Park.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sullivan, Sean (2-0)
L: Graham Laubscher (0-3)
Base Running:
SB: Max Moris 1

Batting:
2B: Calarco, Anthony 1 ; Hrustich, Stephen 1 ; O'Donnell, Ethan 1
3B: Bianchina, Vince 1
HR: D'Alise, Tommy 2 ; Santini, JC 1
RBI: Hrustich, Stephen 1 ; Beshears, Jay 2 ; Bianchina, Vince 1 ; D'Alise, Tommy 4 ; Santini, JC 1
SH: Pinkston, Drewbie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Calarco, Anthony 1 ; Hrustich, Stephen 1 ; O'Donnell, Ethan 1 ; Beshears, Jay 2 ; Bianchina, Vince 1 ; D'Alise, Tommy 2 ; Santini, JC 1
SB: Hrustich, Stephen 1
CS: Hrustich, Stephen 1
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