The 'Cats had another rough weekend.
The Wildcats traveled to Illinois this weekend to take on the Fighting Illini in a three-game set. Northwestern has had a tough back-half of the season, while Illinois appears to be on the up. Neither are top-of-the-conference level teams.
But the difference in momentum was clear this weekend, as the Illini continued to find ways to win, and the 'Cats found ways to lose. By Sunday, Northwestern found itself on the brink of yet another weekend series sweep.
In game one, NU was just never in it. Starting pitcher Ryan Weaver had a start he'd like to forget, allowing eight earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Then, Alex Grant came in and gave up four runs in relief, although just two of them were earned.
But the 'Cats were buried in this one from the very beginning of the game, and the lineup came out of the gates sluggish. The two teams only played seven innings in the opener, as the home crowd was treated to a 12-0 trouncing of the Wildcats.
Game two on Saturday was a much better game. Matthew Kouser got the start for the 'Cats, tossing six innings of three-run baseball. Those three runs all came in the first two innings, but he put the clamps on after that.
In a 3-0 hole in the sixth inning, Owen McElfatrick finally got Northwestern on the board for the first time in the series, mashing a solo homer to right. He came through clutch again in the eighth with an RBI-single to cut the deficit to just one.
With their backs against the wall, the 'Cats managed to rally for one more run in the top of the ninth, which scored on an error. All of the sudden, the game was tied.
But Northwestern's bullpen immediately let it down. Jake Rifenburg allowed the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, a homer from catcher Will Johannes. It was a brutal, walk-off ending for a Wildcat team that showed scrapped back into the game in the late innings.
In game three on Sunday, Northwestern was just looking to avoid its fourth sweep in five series. But, again, the game went sideways pretty much from the first pitch.
Sam Hliboki was on the bump for the 'Cats to start, and he promptly allowed four runs in the first inning and was removed from the game. But by the end of the fourth inning, the Illini already had nine runs on the scoreboard. The Wildcats had zero.
They avoided the run-rule in this one, but the 'Cats still fell 10-3, solidifying another series sweep at the hands of a Big Ten rival.
Northwestern will conclude its season next weekend at home, taking on Rutgers at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park.
