Behind a combined nine runs batted in from JP Gauthier (De Pere, Wis./Illinois State) and Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) and stellar pitching from the back end of the bullpen, the Northern Illinois University baseball team defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 17-8 at Rocky Miller Park.
The win is NIU’s first against a Big Ten program since an 8-5 win at Michigan on March 18, 2017. It was also the Huskies’ first win against Northwestern since April 30, 2014.
“We’ve been searching for the answer to these midweek games,” said head coach Ryan Copeland. “We swung the bats well last week at Illinois State but didn’t pitch well. It looked like it might be more of the same today to start, but we did a good job bouncing back. Our bullpen was excellent. We took advantage of what they gave us offensively and were very patient, and dangerous, at the plate once we got to Northwestern’s bullpen. It’s a really good win and we’ll try and carry it over to this weekend’s trip to Toledo.”
NIU (9-16) trailed 6-3 after three innings. The Huskies put two runs on the board in the top of the fourth to get within a run. NIU loaded the bases on a Spencer Bartel (Sun Prairie, Wis./Madison College) walk, a Jake Nelson (Altoona, Wis./Madison College) double and another walk to Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West). Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) made the score 6-4 by drawing a walk to bring in Bartel. A Gauthier sacrifice fly brought Nelson home to get NIU within one.
Ryan Linkletter (McHenry, Ill./Iowa Central CC) entered the game from the NIU bullpen in the bottom of the fourth and put a zero on the board. Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) tied the game in the fifth, leading off with a home run over the left field fence to make the score 6-6. After another scoreless inning from Linkletter, the Huskies took their first lead of the game in the sixth. With Parcell at second base after a single and a steal, Gauthier cracked a double to right center to bring in the Huskies’ right fielder and give NIU a 7-6 lead.
Northwestern (10-12) tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. With runners at the corners and one out, Will Johnson singled through the right side of the infield and drove in Bennett Markinson to put the score level at 7-7. Alex Day (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) entered the game for Linkletter and stranded both runners on base to keep the game tied.
“Linkletter was outstanding,” Copeland said. “We didn’t plan to extend him into a fourth inning, but he was throwing the ball so well and changing speeds. Alex came in and that was the game. He got the big strikeout with one out and the infield in and the groundball to get out of it. You look back on moments in the game and you never know when the big ones are going to happen. That was a big turning point for us.”
The Huskies broke the tie in a big way in the eighth. A Bartel single, a Nelson walk and Parcell being hit by a pitch loaded the bases with no outs. Demetral hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Bartel and put NIU ahead 8-7. Gauthier followed with a single up the middle to bring Nelson home and make the score 9-7. Erato capped the inning with a two-run double to left field to give NIU an 11-7 lead. The Huskies’ patience at the plate paid off in the ninth when NIU scored six runs on four walks, three hit by pitches, and one hit to take a 17-7 lead. The Wildcats scored one run in the bottom of the ninth as DJ Hess (Germantown, Wis./College of Lake County) recorded the final three outs to lock up the victory.
The 17 runs scored by NIU were a season-high and the most since an 18-10 win at Western Kentucky on March 5, 2023. Gauthier was 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with a season-high five RBI. Erato was 2-for-6 with four RBI. The bottom of the order – Bartel, Nelson, Parcell, and Demetral – were a combined 6-for-10 with seven walks and 12 runs scored. Day got his first career victory on the mound as a Huskie on Wednesday. Linkletter allowed one run in 3.1 innings, scattering five hits.
NIU heads to Toledo for a three-game Mid-American Conference series beginning on Thursday, March 28 at 2 p.m. CT.