Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
3-18, 1-1
Purdue
11-14, 2-3
Northwestern Pitching Impresses in Doubleheader Split With Purdue
4/2/2023 6:49:00 PM | Baseball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Northwestern's pitching was dominant on Sunday, limiting Purdue to three earned runs over 18 innings in a doubleheader split. The 'Cats (3-19, 1-2) mashed their way to a 7-3 victory in game one, while the Boilermakers (12-14, 3-3) held on for a 4-3 win in a ten-inning game two.
Michael Farinelli got the day started for Northwestern, striking out nine Purdue hitters and allowing only two hits over 6.1 innings of work. The nine strikeouts were the most by a Wildcat pitcher this season and tied the graduate student's career high. The effort was good for a quality start and Farinelli's first win of the 2023 campaign.
Junior Ben Grable also made an impact on the mound for the Wildcats in the first game, throwing 1.1 perfect innings with two strikeouts to earn his first save of the year.
In game two, Sam Garewal toed the rubber first. In his third start of the year, Garewal went a season-high four innings. He allowed three runs - all unearned - on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts. From there, Luke Benneche went the distance. His five innings and six strikeouts were also season highs. Despite giving up the winning run and earning the loss, Benneche's final line was solid with just four hits and a walk allowed.
At the plate, the Wildcats received contributions from up and down the lineup. Griffin Arnone continued his tear, hitting a solo home run in both halves of the day's action. In game one, the 'Cats were paced by senior Evan Minarovic, who went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Senior Luke Tanner also chipped in on the win for Northwestern, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate. In game two, Alex Calarco and Bennett Markinson led the way, collecting two hits apiece. Arnone, Calarco and Stephen Hrustich each contributed an RBI in the loss.
GAME 1 | Northwestern 7, Purdue 3
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats put runs on the board first in game one, starting the scoring in the fourth inning. Arnone crushed a leadoff home run off junior Jonathan Blackwell to give Northwestern a 1-0 advantage.
The Wildcats kept the Boilermakers off the board before building on their lead in the sixth inning. Northwestern scored on an RBI single off the bat of Minarovic, which brought the Wildcats lead to 2-0.
Purdue narrowed Northwestern's lead to 2-1 before the Wildcats stretched the advantage to 7-1 in the eighth inning. The Wildcats' bats heated up in the inning, scoring five runs, including a two-run double off the bat of Minarovic. Purdue put two runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Northwestern still coasted to the 7-3 win.
GAME 2 | Purdue 4, Northwestern 3 (10 inn.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Purdue turned the tables in game two, keeping the Wildcats scoreless through the first seven innings. The Boilermakers scored thrice during that time, building a 3-0 lead before Arnone struck for his second long ball of the afternoon. The smash put Northwestern on the board, making it a 3-1 game.
The Wildcats kept the deficit at 3-1 before tying the score in the ninth. Northwestern brought home a pair, with one run driven in by Hrustich's single, which evened the score at 3-3, where it would stay through the bottom of the inning.
Purdue stimied the 'Cats in the top of the tenth, then Lukas Cook dealt the final blow of the ballgame with a walkoff home run in the bottom of the inning, giving the Boilermakers a 4-3 victory.
GAME NOTES
» Griffin Arnone homered in all three of Northwestern's games against Purdue, giving him a team-leading six on the season.
» Arnone's effort extended his hitting streak to a career-high six games.
» 'Cats pitching struck out 13 batters in game one, their most in a contest this year.
» The pitching staff limited Purdue to five hits in game one - a season low for Wildcat pitching - and six hits in game two.
» Northwestern pitchers faced 72 Purdue hitters in the game, allowing 13 ground balls and 17 fly balls while striking out 22.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: LAMBERT, Cal (1-1)
L: Benneche, Luke (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Calarco, Alex 1
HR: Arnone, Griffin 1
RBI: Arnone, Griffin 1 ; Calarco, Alex 1 ; Hrustich, Stephen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arnone, Griffin 2 ; Livermore, Tony 1
Batting:
2B: PARR, Jake 1
HR: COOK, Lukas 1
RBI: FRANCO, Sam 1 ; PARR, Jake 2 ; COOK, Lukas 1
SH: JARVIS, Jake 1
SF: FRANCO, Sam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TOETZ, Paul 1 ; CASKENETTE, Connor 1 ; STEVENS, Jo 1 ; COOK, Lukas 1
HBP: CASKENETTE, Connor 1
