Fighting Illini shut out Northwestern baseball to complete sweep
The Northwestern Wildcats arrived in Champaign, Ill. on Friday as one of the hottest teams in the country, riding high after two consecutive Big Ten series victories and wins in 13 of their previous 16 games.
Illinois outplayed the ‘Cats throughout the weekend, however, and the Fighting Illini finished off a series sweep of Northwestern with a 3-0 win on Sunday. The Wildcats’ offense struggled against Illinois pitching, as Riley Gowens and Alex Vera combined to twirl a three-hit shutout.
Gowens was masterful on the mound, blanking the ‘Cats over seven innings and allowing just five baserunners. Gowens tied his career-high by recording 21 outs, and he faced 18 straight batters without allowing a hit from the second through the seventh inning.
Vincent Bianchina’s lead-off double in the top of the eighth inning ended Gowens’ outing, but Alex Vera entered and retired the side to keep Northwestern off the scoreboard.
Temps in the 40's but Vince is staying hot.#GoCats | @VBianchina pic.twitter.com/DoOlS2HGr4
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) April 17, 2022
The Wildcats never had multiple runners on base in the game, and Bianchina was the only baserunner to reach scoring position. Gowens induced two double plays to squash Northwestern rallies in the second and fourth innings, and he struck out five batters.
Illinois jumped in front of the ‘Cats in the bottom of the first inning against right-hander Grant Comstock. Chicago-native Danny Doligale started the inning with a single, stole second base, and scored on a groundout. With two outs, Jacob Campbell followed suit by singling and stealing second, and Kellen Sarver’s single brought him home to double Illinois’ lead.
Comstock worked through four innings, surrendering seven hits and walking two batters but keeping Northwestern within striking distance. Illinois scored the final run of the game in the fourth inning when Comstock beaned Justin Janas with the bases loaded.
One bright spot for the Wildcats was a strong performance from the bullpen. Jack Sauser and Kellen Pate teamed up to hold the Fighting Illini hitless over the final four innings, facing one batter above the minimum.
Vera completed the shutout with a clean ninth inning, earning his second save of the season. Gowens improved to 4-1 with the win and lowered his season earned run average to 3.97.
Bianchina, Bennett Markinson and Jay Beshears notched the only hits for Northwestern (15-16, 4-5 Big Ten), and Stephen Hrustich and Andrew Pinkston drew walks. The last time the ‘Cats were shut out was nearly a year ago to the day in a home loss to Indiana on April 18, 2021.
Cam McDonald and Brody Harding led Illinois (19-14, 10-2 Big Ten) with two hits each, and Janas knocked two of the three Fighting Illini runs in.
Northwestern’s road woes continued this weekend, as the team is now 6-14 in true road games in 2022. The Wildcats will play their next five games at home, starting with a non-conference game against Saint Louis University on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park, where the ‘Cats are 8-1 this season.
Andrew Polk is a sportswriter and graduate student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Polk is a graduate of Macalester College, where he played for the school's Division-III baseball team.