April 30, 2009
NU Game Notes vs. Illinois (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern faces the Big Ten leader for the second consecutive weekend as it welcomes Illinois to Rocky Miller Park for a three-game series. The Fighting Illini enter the weekend tied for the top spot in the conference race with Ohio State, the Wildcats' opponent a week ago. Friday's game gets underway at 3 p.m., while first pitch is set for 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
Friday's contest is being streamed live via Wildcats All-Access on NUsports.com, while Gametracker will be available for all three games. Each contest can also be heard online at sports.wnur.org.
NU played toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes last weekend and finally got a win to show for its efforts on Sunday when it posted a 10-6 victory. Chad Noble had three hits and drove in three runs, while Trevor Stevens had three hits and scored three times. The Wildcats led throughout Friday night's opener, but Ohio State rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun the visitors 5-4. Stevens and Tommy Finn had two hits apiece for Northwestern. The Buckeyes jumped out to an early lead and were able to withstand numerous runs by the Wildcats to hold on for an 11-7 win on Saturday. Stevens, who had multiple hits in each game of the series, had a pair of hits while Chris Kontos scored three runs.
Northwestern then dropped a 7-2 decision at home to Milwaukee on Wednesday. The Panthers jumped out to a quick three-run lead before the Wildcats rallied back to within a run. But the visitors got an insurance run in the eighth and three more in the ninth to hold on. Finn and Chris Lashmet each had two hits apiece for NU.
Scouting Illinois
The Fighting Illini (27-13, 11-4 Big Ten) saw their four-game winning streak come to an end in an 11-10 loss at Indiana State Wednesday night. Brandon Wikoff, who leads the team with a .370 batting average, had three hits and scored three runs. He paces six Illinois regulars who are hitting at least .340 this season. Ben Reeser leads the pitching staff with a 2.55 ERA to go along with a 3-0 record. Dan Hartleb is in his fourth season as head coach of the Illini.
Series History: Illinois leads, 151-79-1.
Last Season: The Fighting Illini won three of four games played May 3-5, 2008 in Champaign. Illinois won the opener 14-4 before Northwestern won the first game of Sunday's doubleheader 4-3. The hosts won the nightcap 11-5 before earning a wild 10-9 victory in Monday's finale.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday - LHP Joe Muraski vs. LHP Phil Haig
Saturday - LHP Eric Jokisch vs. RHP Ben Reeser
Sunday - RHP Zach Morton vs. RHP Bryan Roberts