March 19, 2012
Box Score | Box Score 
Site: Winter Haven, Fla. (Chain of Lakes Park Stadium)
Score: Jacksonville State 6, Northwestern 5
Records: NU (6-12, 0-0 Big Ten), Jacksonville State (5-13, 0-0 Ohio Valley)
Next NU Event: Tuesday, March 20 -- vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Winter Haven, Fla.), 12 p.m. CT
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Northwestern erased deficits on two separate occasions Monday, but ultimately the Wildcats were done in by three errors that led to four unearned runs, including the game-winning tally in the bottom of the ninth against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks committed five defensive miscues of their own, but survived to win, 6-5.
JSU jumped the Wildcats early by scoring three unearned runs in the first inning off starting pitcher Jack Havey. Havey, who made his first start of the season, served up run-scoring hits to Kyle Bluestein and Eric Underwood in the frame.
Underwood later tried to score from second base on a single to right field, but a strong relay throw from Walker Moses to Geoff Rowan at the plate cut him down for the inning's third putout.
Northwestern began to dent the scoreboard in the top of the second. Nick Linne caught the third baseman Michael Flores off-guard and placed a bunt in his direction for a base hit. With two away, Rowan laced a double down the left field line that allowed Linne to score.
Rowan, a senior, was 1-for-3 in the game and is now batting a team-best .358 this season. In five games at the 2012 RussMatt Invitational the backstop is batting .500 (6-for-12) with two doubles, two RBIs and three sacrifice bunts.
The next batter in the second for NU was Moses and the freshman continued to make the most of his opportunities with a line-drive smash to third. The baseball trickled into shallow center field and that allowed Rowan to score and cut the deficit to one run at 3-2.
The Gamecocks looked poised to add to the lead in the bottom of the third with runners at first and second base and just one out. Northwestern's defense had other ideas, however. Havey induced a grounder to second that was scooped up by second baseman Zach Morton, and flipped to Kyle Ruchim covering the bag, then pegged to Paul Snieder to end the inning.
The 'Cats were able to even the ledger in the top of the fourth inning. Jack Livingston walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt of Rowan. After Hamilton Wise walked, Ruchim delivered a single up the middle that scored the NU left fielder and tied the ballgame at three runs apiece.
Havey was relieved on the mound by Ethan Bramschreiber to begin the bottom of the fourth. The sophomore struck out the first batter he faced and retired the next two in order to work a perfect first frame.
Northwestern secured its first lead of the game with another run in the top half of the fifth. After Snieder and Havey chased Jacksonville State starting pitcher Bradley Raulston with back-to-back singles, Linne sacrificed both men up 90 feet with a bunt. Livingston was lifted for pinch hitter Chris Kontos and the senior delivered with an RBI-sacrifice fly to left field. It was the first run batted in of the season for the senior and it gave the Wildcats a 4-3 advantage.
Jacksonville State came right back in the bottom of the inning, however, scoring twice off of Bramschreiber with the help of two hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly. Underwood and catcher Cal Lambert delivered RBIs in the inning to give their team a 5-4 lead.
Morton led off the seventh inning with his second double in as many days and his third of the season. After moving to third on Snieder's groundout to second, Havey ripped a sharp one-hopper to third, which forced Morton to hold. Linne stepped to the dish and took the first pitch he saw into left field to plate Morton and tie the game once again.
The next batter, Kontos, nearly grabbed the lead for Northwestern, but his towering fly ball was knocked down by the wind at the warning track and the inning was through.
Michael Jahns entered the contest in relief to begin the bottom of the seventh for the 'Cats. The senior tossed a scoreless inning.
Rowan reached on an error by the JSU shortstop to begin the top of the eighth and he scampered on to second base when Moses laid down a sac bunt toward the first baseman. Wise lined out to the second baseman Andre Bishop, who made a leaping grab, and Ruchim went down on strikes to end the scoring opportunity.
Bishop led off the home half of the eighth with a bloop single over Ruchim's outstretched glove. He moved to second on a sac bunt by Flores, but then Jahns punched out Zach Elbrit on strikes for the second out of the stanza. Morton made a terrific play to move to his right and throw across his body to nail the runner and end the inning.
After the Wildcats were held scoreless in their half of the inning, the Gamecocks produced back-to-back base hits to open the bottom of the ninth. Bluestein then chopped a ball to Linne, who stepped on the bag at third and threw on to Morton at second for the second out. After Bluestein stole second base, Underwood hit a sharp grounder to short, but Ruchim could not handle the ball and it scooted into center field. Bluestein ran hard the whole way and came around to score the game-winning run for the Gamecocks.
Northwestern will wrap-up its spring break trip to the Sunshine State on Tuesday afternoon with one final game at the 2012 RussMatt Invitational against Nebraska-Omaha at 12 p.m. Central time. It will be the first time ever that the Wildcats will face UNO on the diamond.
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