Friday, March 25
Columbus, Ohio
5:35 p.m.
Northwestern
6-16, 1-0
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Ohio State
12-7-1, 0-1
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Northwestern
2
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Ohio State
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'Cats Top Buckeyes in Big Ten Opener, 6-5
3/25/2016 10:14:00 PM | Baseball
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Northwestern scored a pair of runs in the ninth inning to break a 4-4 tie and go on to beat Ohio State, 6-4, in a roller coaster of a Big Ten opener for both teams.
Northwestern (6-16, 1-0 B1G) out hit the Buckeyes (12-7-1, 0-1 B1G) by a 10-7 margin in the game and four Wildcats collected a pair of hits, including Zach Jones (2-5), Matt Hopfner (2-4, RBI), Connor Lind (2-4) and Ben Dickey (2-3).
Cooper Wetherbee (1-2) proved to have ice in his veins on Friday night. After Ohio State tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, and loaded the bases, head coach Spencer Allen called upon the junior walk-on to get the Wildcats out of the jam, and Wetherbee did just that by getting a fly out in the only batter he faced in the frame.
The win is the first of his career.
Dan Kubiuk faced one batter in the bottom of the ninth and registered a strike out to pick up the first save of his career and solidify the win for Northwestern.
Yianni Pavlopoulos (1-1) earned the loss for the Buckeyes.
Northwestern got on the board early in the contest by scoring a pair of runs in the first inning. After Dunn reached on an error, Jones uncorked his seventh double of the season to put runners on second and third with no outs.
Dunn scored on a passed ball to get the first run of the game, before Jack Claeys laid down a safety squeeze that brought home Jones to make it 2-0.
Reed Mason started on the mound for the 'Cats and was nothing short of excellent. The senior left-hander pitched 6.0 innings and only surrendered four hits and two runs, while striking out a season-high six batters.
Mason now has a team-best 21 strikeouts on the campaign.
Lind and Willie Bourbon both singled to start the sixth inning. With runners on the corners, Ohio State's Austin Woodby threw a pick-off that got passed the first baseman and allowed Lind to score. A two-out single by Dunn two batters later scored Bourbon to put Northwestern in front, 4-0.
A two-run homer by Nick Sergakis in the bottom of the sixth inning cut into Northwestern's lead. The Buckeyes would score two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning before Wetherbee entered the game to shut the door.
In the top of the ninth inning, with the scored tied at 4-4 and the bases loaded, Hopfner singled back up the middle to bring home the go-ahead run from third. An RBI-sacrifice fly by Jack Claeys in the next at-bat scored Jones to provide an insure run and put Northwestern in front, 6-4.
Claeys drove in a pair of runs in three plate appearances.
This is the first time Northwestern has won its Big Ten lidlifter since the 2013 season.
Northwestern will return to action tomorrow for game two of the series against the Buckeyes at 2:05 p.m. CT. LHP Matt Hopfner will make his second start of the season for Northwestern.
Northwestern (6-16, 1-0 B1G) out hit the Buckeyes (12-7-1, 0-1 B1G) by a 10-7 margin in the game and four Wildcats collected a pair of hits, including Zach Jones (2-5), Matt Hopfner (2-4, RBI), Connor Lind (2-4) and Ben Dickey (2-3).
Cooper Wetherbee (1-2) proved to have ice in his veins on Friday night. After Ohio State tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, and loaded the bases, head coach Spencer Allen called upon the junior walk-on to get the Wildcats out of the jam, and Wetherbee did just that by getting a fly out in the only batter he faced in the frame.
The win is the first of his career.
Dan Kubiuk faced one batter in the bottom of the ninth and registered a strike out to pick up the first save of his career and solidify the win for Northwestern.
Yianni Pavlopoulos (1-1) earned the loss for the Buckeyes.
Northwestern got on the board early in the contest by scoring a pair of runs in the first inning. After Dunn reached on an error, Jones uncorked his seventh double of the season to put runners on second and third with no outs.
Dunn scored on a passed ball to get the first run of the game, before Jack Claeys laid down a safety squeeze that brought home Jones to make it 2-0.
Reed Mason started on the mound for the 'Cats and was nothing short of excellent. The senior left-hander pitched 6.0 innings and only surrendered four hits and two runs, while striking out a season-high six batters.
Mason now has a team-best 21 strikeouts on the campaign.
Lind and Willie Bourbon both singled to start the sixth inning. With runners on the corners, Ohio State's Austin Woodby threw a pick-off that got passed the first baseman and allowed Lind to score. A two-out single by Dunn two batters later scored Bourbon to put Northwestern in front, 4-0.
A two-run homer by Nick Sergakis in the bottom of the sixth inning cut into Northwestern's lead. The Buckeyes would score two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning before Wetherbee entered the game to shut the door.
In the top of the ninth inning, with the scored tied at 4-4 and the bases loaded, Hopfner singled back up the middle to bring home the go-ahead run from third. An RBI-sacrifice fly by Jack Claeys in the next at-bat scored Jones to provide an insure run and put Northwestern in front, 6-4.
Claeys drove in a pair of runs in three plate appearances.
This is the first time Northwestern has won its Big Ten lidlifter since the 2013 season.
Northwestern will return to action tomorrow for game two of the series against the Buckeyes at 2:05 p.m. CT. LHP Matt Hopfner will make his second start of the season for Northwestern.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wetherbee, Cooper (1-2)
L: Pavlopoulos (1-1)
S: Kubiuk, Dan (1)
Batting:
2B: Jones, Zach 1
RBI: Dunn, Jack 1 ; Hopfner, Matt 1 ; Claeys, Jack 2
SH: Claeys, Jack 1
SF: Claeys, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dunn, Jack 1 ; Jones, Zach 2 ; Lind, Connor 1 ; Bourbon, Willie 1 ; Dickey, Ben 1
CS: Dickey, Ben 1
Batting:
2B: Bosiokovic 1 ; Dawson 1 ; Leffel 1
HR: Sergakis 1
RBI: Sergakis 3 ; Leffel 1 ; Gantt 1
SH: Gantt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bosiokovic 1 ; Dawson 1 ; Sergakis 3
SB: Montgomery 2 ; Dawson 2 ; Sergakis 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball3B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
3B/OF
/ Baseball
LHP
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