Northwestern University Athletics
Tuesday, May 5
Evanston, Ill.
3:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
20-25-1
7
vs
1
Illinois State
30-18
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Northwestern | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 8 | 0 |
Lausch Homers for Third Straight Game, ‘Cats Down Redbirds 7-1
5/5/2026 8:27:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern snapped Illinois State's eight-game win streak in a 7-1 victory over the Redbirds.
Northwestern pitching limited the Redbirds to four hits, marking its fifth game this season in which it held its opponent to four or fewer hits.
Northwestern added three more runs in the second inning, stretching its lead to five after just two frames. OF Charlie Caruso doubled home a run, and INF Owen McElfatrick slugged a two-run homer down the left-field line. McElfatrick's homer marked the 34th of his career, two shy of Eric Mogentale's program record of 36.
Illinois State (30-18, 12-9 Missouri Valley) got on the board on a solo home run in the third, the lone run of the day for the Redbirds.
In the bottom of the sixth, The Wildcats added a pair of runs. INF Nick Barron scored on a wild pitch, and INF Jake Yang advanced home on a double steal to extend NU's lead to 7-1.
RHP Sam Hliboki (4-3) earned the win, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run ball, surrendering one run on four hits, striking out three.
LHP Jake Rifenburg and RHP James Whitaker closed the game out with 4.0 straight innings of hitless baseball, with each rookie working 2.0 innings.
Northwestern will hit the road for its penultimate Big Ten series against Illinois this weekend.
Northwestern pitching limited the Redbirds to four hits, marking its fifth game this season in which it held its opponent to four or fewer hits.
The Wildcats (20-25-1, 7-17 Big Ten) jumped on the Redbirds early, going ahead in the bottom of the first on OF Jack Lausch's two-run home run. Tuesday's blast marked Lausch's third straight game with a homer.'CATS WIN! ?? pic.twitter.com/uGPstV7vZW
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) May 5, 2026
Northwestern added three more runs in the second inning, stretching its lead to five after just two frames. OF Charlie Caruso doubled home a run, and INF Owen McElfatrick slugged a two-run homer down the left-field line. McElfatrick's homer marked the 34th of his career, two shy of Eric Mogentale's program record of 36.
Illinois State (30-18, 12-9 Missouri Valley) got on the board on a solo home run in the third, the lone run of the day for the Redbirds.
In the bottom of the sixth, The Wildcats added a pair of runs. INF Nick Barron scored on a wild pitch, and INF Jake Yang advanced home on a double steal to extend NU's lead to 7-1.
RHP Sam Hliboki (4-3) earned the win, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run ball, surrendering one run on four hits, striking out three.
LHP Jake Rifenburg and RHP James Whitaker closed the game out with 4.0 straight innings of hitless baseball, with each rookie working 2.0 innings.
Northwestern will hit the road for its penultimate Big Ten series against Illinois this weekend.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hliboki, Sam (4-3)
L: Zilis, Brayd (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Mastros, Gra 1
RBI: Mastros, Gra 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mastros, Gra 1
Batting:
2B: Kucherak, Ryan 1 ; Ruiz, Noah 1 ; Caruso, Charlie 1
HR: McElfatrick, Owen 1 ; Lausch, Jack 1
RBI: McElfatrick, Owen 2 ; Lausch, Jack 2 ; Caruso, Charlie 1
SH: Freeman, Jackson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McElfatrick, Owen 2 ; Lausch, Jack 1 ; Barron, Nick 1 ; Yang, Jake 1 ; Freeman, Jackson 1 ; Caruso, Charlie 1
CS: Caruso, Charlie 1
HBP: Freeman, Jackson 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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LHP
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RHP
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