Liolios NIULiolios NIU

Northwestern Drops Midweek to Northern Illinois

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Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern fell 17-8 to Northern Illinois after a late offensive outburst by the Huskies on Tuesday, March 26 at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park.

Northwestern (10-12) came out of the gate hot with four runs in the first inning. Bennett Markinson opened the scoring with a single to score Owen McElfatrick. Trent Liolios continued his hot streak with a three-run shot to left center, putting NU up 4-0 with his third home run in six games. 

BYE-BYE BASEBALL ????

Make that 3 HRs in 8 days for @LioliosTrent ?? pic.twitter.com/sXMnv6O8zY

— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) March 26, 2024
NIU (9-16) responded with an RBI by Spencer Bartel single to trim the Wildcat lead to 4-1 in the top of the second. Northwestern re-extended its advantage to four in the bottom half of the frame on a McElfatrick double, bringing Griffin Arnone around.

A two-run home run from NIU in the top of the third cut the Wildcat lead in half. NU responded in the bottom of the third with a n RBI groundout by Tony Livermore to make it a 6-3 game.

The Huskies responded with two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth to claim a 7-6 advantage, before Northwestern tied the game in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Will Johnson.

NIU scored four in the eighth and six in the ninth to take a 17-7 advantage before the 'Cats got one back in the ninth, sending the Huskies home with a 17-8 win. 

Amar Tsengeg (1-1) was handed the loss for the Wildcats, allowing three runs on one hit in one inning of work.

Game Notes
  • Trent Liolios went 5-for-5 with four singles and a three-run home run in the first inning.
    • Liolios's home run marked his third long ball over the last six games.
    • Liolios's five hits are the most by a Wildcat since Tommy D'alise recorded five hits in a 21-8 win over Milwaukee on May 10, 2022.
  • Colin Dowdle tossed his third scoreless inning to open his career. 

Northwestern opens Big Ten play with a three-game home series against Nebraska this weekend. First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m. CT, while action is set to begin at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday.