Northwestern
9-10, 0
Illinois
11-8, 0
Wildcats Split Friday Doubleheader with Fighting Illini
3/21/2025 6:02:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern (9-11, 2-3 Big Ten) split its Friday doubleheader with Illinois (12-8, 2-3 Big Ten) at Miller Park to open its three-game series.
Illinois got on the board first in game one, plating a pair in the top of the second by way of a two-run home run. The Fighting Illini stretched their advantage to three on a solo home run in the top of the third.
The 'Cats got one back in the top of the third when OF Jackson Freeman reached on a single with the bases loaded, scoring OF Jack Lausch.
NU evened the game in the top of the sixth. With the bases juiced, C Bennett Markinson was hit by a pitch to bring INF Ryan Kucherak home. Next batter, Lausch worked a walk, scoring INF Trent Liolios to tie the game.
Illinois regained the lead in the top of the seventh on an RBI double, taking a 4-3 lead.
Down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth, Northwestern rallied. With a runner on second, Freeman singled through the right side, scoring UTL Tyler Ganus to tie the game at four apiece. Next batter, Kucherak walked it off with an RBI double to right-center, scoring Freeman to give Northwestern a 5-4 win.
LHP Blake MacMillan (2-0) earned the win for the Wildcats, allowing two hits, two walks, and striking out a pair in 2.2 shutout innings.
Illinois claimed an 11-6 win in game two. The Fighting Illini went ahead in the top of the second on a solo home run, before a solo home run by INF Ryan Kucherak tied the game at one.WALK IT OFF, @Ryankucherak?? pic.twitter.com/TIA8gjjzrY
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) March 21, 2025
The Illini plated four in the top half of the fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Solo shots by INF Owen McElfatrick and Kucherak, his second of the game, put Northwestern within two runs.
Illinois scored three runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to go up 11-3. In the bottom of the sixth, Kucherak slugged his third long ball of the game, his fifth of the season, trimmed the Illini lead to 11-4.
INF Trent Lilolios mashed his fifth home run in four games, a two-run shot to left, to draw the Wildcats within five runs in the bottom of the eighth and cap off the scoring.
Doubleheader Notes
- Ryan Kucherak becomes the second Wildcat to record a three-homer game, and third to record a multi homer game, joining Liolios and Bennett Markinson.
- Liolios and Kucherak become the first Wildcats to record three-homer games in a season since at least 2016.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: MacMillan, Blake (2-0)
L: Gannon, Reed (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Ross, Grant 1
3B: Zebig, Jack 1
HR: Schupmann, Kyle 1 ; Schroeder, Jacob 1
RBI: Ross, Grant 1 ; Schupmann, Kyle 2 ; Schroeder, Jacob 1
SH: Groves, Nick 1 ; Quagliano, Coltin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Chee-Aloy, Cameron 1 ; Jennings, Collin 1 ; Schupmann, Kyle 1 ; Schroeder, Jacob 1
SB: Zebig, Jack 1
HBP: Chee-Aloy, Cameron 1 ; Groves, Nick 1 ; Ross, Grant 1 ; Jennings, Collin 1
Batting:
2B: Kucherak, Ryan 1
RBI: Freeman, Jackson 2 ; Kucherak, Ryan 1 ; Markinson, Bennett 1 ; Lausch, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Freeman, Jackson 1 ; Kucherak, Ryan 1 ; Liolios, Trent 1 ; Lausch, Jack 1 ; Ganus, Tyler 1
HBP: Markinson, Bennett 1 ; Ganus, Tyler 1
