July 28, 2010
The 2009-10 athletic year at Northwestern University was one to remember. Filled with memorable wins, honors and championships, there was much to be celebrated this past year in Evanston. Be sure to follow along at NUsports.com through August 6 as we take a look back at some of the very best highlights the Wildcats experienced last season.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Few moments on our 2009-10 countdown can match the drama, emotion, controversy and heroics as the Northwestern baseball team's regular-season finale against Michigan State May 22 at Rocky Miller Park. With a postseason berth on the line for both teams, one swing of the bat by sophomore Paul Snieder helped make the memorable contest No. 8 on the list.
The Wildcats and the Spartans entered the must-win finale for the right to earn a berth in the Big Ten tournament after each squad posted a 2-1 win to open the series.
In the back-and-forth matchup, Michigan State scored twice in both the seventh and eighth innings to take a 6-3 lead. However, as they did all season long, the Wildcats refused to go away.
Northwestern used a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth to get within 6-4 before Chris Kontos came to the plate with the bases loaded. The sophomore singled to right to plate one run. Trevor Stevens attempted to score the tying run from second and beat the ball to the plate, but he was called out and immediately ejected from the game for making contact with the MSU catcher before he had the ball. The controversial call set off a firestorm that resulted in two members of the NU coaching staff also being ejected and left the 'Cats trailing by a run.
Snieder worked a perfect top half of the ninth on the mound before he did something even more impressive in the bottom half. With one out, Arby Fields doubled and Chad Noble singled to put runners on the corners. Looking to get at least a flyball to allow Fields to tag and score from third, Snieder did much better than that. The left-handed hitting slugger launched a towering three-run walk-off homer to right to give the Wildcats a heart-stopping 8-6 win.
"When the chips were down and they were up against it, they found a way to get the job done," an emotional Northwestern head coach Paul Stevens said. "I can't tell you how impressed I am with them and how happy I am for them that they've earned their way into the Big Ten tournament. They really deserve it."
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