Wildcats split doubleheader with Santa Clara, win first game of 2022 season

Northwestern baseball snapped a five-game skid and won its first game under interim head coach Josh Reynolds on Saturday, shutting out Santa Clara 10-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

The Wildcats lost the nightcap 10-3, falling behind two games to one in the four-game series with the Broncos.

Game 1 Recap

The ‘Cats pounced on Santa Clara early, tallying four runs in both the first and second innings. Anthony Calarco drew a one-out walk in the top of the first, and Jay Beshears followed with a double down the left field line. Ethan O’Donnell brought Calarco home with an RBI single, and Beshears scored on a Vincent Bianchina sacrifice bunt. Stephen Hrustich and Tony Livermore added run-scoring singles to round out the scoring in the first.

Northwestern kept up the offense in the second inning, taking advantage of an error by Santa Clara’s starting pitcher Skylar Hales to score its fifth run. Bianchina made the Broncos pay with a two-out, two-run triple to extend the lead, and Tommy D’Alise tacked on an RBI double to make it 8-0.

An eight-run cushion was more than enough for Northwestern starter Sean Sullivan, who dazzled Santa Clara hitters en route to his first collegiate victory. Sullivan struck out nine and walked none in his six innings of work, commanding his fastball on both sides of the plate. The first-year struck out the side in both the second and fifth innings, and his six-inning start was the longest outing from any Northwestern hurler on the young season.

A strong defensive performance led to the Wildcats’ first errorless game of the season. Calarco turned in the best play of the afternoon, corralling a scorching liner off the bat of Eamonn Lance with a headlong dive to end a Santa Clara scoring threat in the sixth.

Coby Moe finished the shutout and closed out the Wildcats’ first victory with a three-inning save. Moe hit the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh but escaped the inning unscathed, and he struck out three Broncos in his fourth career save. The shutout was the first for Northwestern’s pitching staff since a 2-0 win over Penn State last March.

O’Donnell collected four hits in five at-bats for Northwestern, doubling his former single-game career high of two hits, which he achieved on six separate occasions last season. Seven different Wildcats had an RBI, and eight hitters recorded a hit in the win.

Game 2 Recap

The second game started auspiciously for Northwestern, as Ruben Fontes led off the top of the first with his first homer as a Wildcat. But Santa Clara’s bats finally woke up in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits against starter Michael Farinelli.

Following the leadoff home run, Jared Feikes settled in on the mound for the Broncos, shutting out the ‘Cats through the fifth inning. Lance started the home half of the fourth inning with a solo shot to left field, and Coleman Brigman’s fifth-inning RBI single gave Santa Clara a four-run lead.

Northwestern cut the deficit in half in the sixth and chased Feikes from the game, doing the damage with two outs in the frame. With Fontes on second, O’Donnell continued his hot day at the plate, doubling to center field. O’Donnell then scored on a Bianchina single.

The Wildcats’ defense faltered in the bottom half of the sixth, committing three errors that resulted in two unearned runs against reliever David Utagawa. Trailing 7-3 in the top of the seventh, Hrustich and Livermore drew walks to start the inning, but Nick Sando struck out J.C. Santini, Fontes and Calarco to squash the rally.

Right-hander Evan Minarovic pitched the seventh and eighth innings for Northwestern, striking out three but yielding three Broncos insurance runs. Sando faced the minimum in a three-inning save and struck out five Wildcat batters.

O’Donnell and Bianchina each had a pair of hits in the loss. Lance homered twice for Santa Clara, and Feikes improved to 2-0 this season.

Next Up

Northwestern wraps up the series with Santa Clara on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at Stephen Schott Stadium.

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