Feb. 19, 2015
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will travel to Texas for the first time since 2011 for this weekend's Irish Alamo Invitational at Nelson W. Wolff Stadium in San Antonio. The Wildcats will play four games in three days, including tilts against Incarnate Word, Notre Dame and Villanova.
Despite some strong showings on the mound during the opening weekend of the season at the Surprise College Baseball Classic in Surprise, Ariz., the Wildcats were unable to scratch out a victory at the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. Northwestern's pitching staff surrendered only six earned runs, but the 'Cats dropped a pair of one-run games, to Oregon State and Michigan State. Senior Brandon Magallones kicked off the campaign by reeling off eight strikeouts in five innings against the Beavers, while junior Matt Portland closed the weekend by scattering just a pair of hits over six innings against Michigan State, though three unearned runs did NU in against the Spartans.
Northwestern's bullpen also rose to the occasion in the desert. Five relief pitchers combined to allow just one run in 8.1 innings on the bump. Left-hander Jake Stolley led the way by pitching a perfect inning in all three games, while registering three strikeouts.
Seniors Reid Hunter and Cody Stevens led the way for the offense with four hits apiece over the three games. Hunter was one of four Wildcats to register an extra-base hit and one of five to pick up an RBI in Surprise. Stevens stole a base and also got a sacrifice bunt down for Northwestern.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will play its first of four scheduled doubleheaders on Friday. The day begins at 11 a.m. with a game against Villanova (0-2) before the nightcap against Incarnate Word (2-2) at 6 p.m. The 'Cats return to Nelson W. Stadium, the home of the Class AA San Antonio Missions, on Saturday to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in a 1 p.m. matinee. Following the round-robin games, there will be a championship and consolation game held simultaneously on Sunday, Feb. 22. The championship will be held at Nelson W. Wolff Stadium, while the consolation will be played at Incarnate Word's home ballpark, Sullivan Field.
| Northwestern vs. Villanova |
|
| Date | Time | Friday, Feb. 20 | 11 a.m. CT |
| Location | Nelson W. Wolff Stadium | San Antonio, Texas |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Pitching Matchup | RHP Brandon Magallones (NU) vs. LHP Josh Harris (VU) |
| Northwestern vs. Incarnate Word |
|
| Date | Time | Friday, Feb. 20 | 6 p.m. CT |
| Location | Nelson W. Wolff Stadium | San Antonio, Texas |
| Listen Live | UIWCardinals.com |
| Live Stats | UIWCardinals.com |
| Pitching Matchup | LHP Reed Mason (NU) vs. LHP Garrett Cooper (UIW) |
| Northwestern vs. Notre Dame |
|
| Date | Time | Saturday, Feb. 21 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | Nelson W. Wolff Stadium | San Antonio, Texas |
| Listen Live | UND.com |
| Live Stats | |
| Pitching Matchup | LHP Matt Portland (NU) vs. RHP Brandon Bielak (UND) |
| Northwestern vs. TBD (Championship/Consolation) |
|
| Date | Time | Sunday, Feb. 22 | 11 a.m. CT |
| Location | TBA | San Antonio, Texas |
| Live Stats | TBA |
| Pitching Matchup | RHP Joe Schindler (NU) vs. TBD |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will travel to Texas for the first time since 2011 for this weekend's Irish Alamo Invitational at Nelson W. Wolff Stadium in San Antonio. The Wildcats will play four games in three days, including tilts against Incarnate Word, Notre Dame and Villanova.
Despite some strong showings on the mound during the opening weekend of the season at the Surprise College Baseball Classic in Surprise, Ariz., the Wildcats were unable to scratch out a victory at the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. Northwestern's pitching staff surrendered only six earned runs, but the 'Cats dropped a pair of one-run games, to Oregon State and Michigan State. Senior Brandon Magallones kicked off the campaign by reeling off eight strikeouts in five innings against the Beavers, while junior Matt Portland closed the weekend by scattering just a pair of hits over six innings against Michigan State, though three unearned runs did NU in against the Spartans.
Northwestern's bullpen also rose to the occasion in the desert. Five relief pitchers combined to allow just one run in 8.1 innings on the bump. Left-hander Jake Stolley led the way by pitching a perfect inning in all three games, while registering three strikeouts.
Seniors Reid Hunter and Cody Stevens led the way for the offense with four hits apiece over the three games. Hunter was one of four Wildcats to register an extra-base hit and one of five to pick up an RBI in Surprise. Stevens stole a base and also got a sacrifice bunt down for Northwestern.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will play its first of four scheduled doubleheaders on Friday. The day begins at 11 a.m. with a game against Villanova (0-2) before the nightcap against Incarnate Word (2-2) at 6 p.m. The 'Cats return to Nelson W. Stadium, the home of the Class AA San Antonio Missions, on Saturday to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in a 1 p.m. matinee. Following the round-robin games, there will be a championship and consolation game held simultaneously on Sunday, Feb. 22. The championship will be held at Nelson W. Wolff Stadium, while the consolation will be played at Incarnate Word's home ballpark, Sullivan Field.
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