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By Jake Simpson The Daily Northwestern
The 2007 season was a frustrating one for the Wildcats. They failed to return to the Big Ten tournament and suffered heartbreaking losses on a weekly basis.
But on Northwestern's last weekend of the year, all of that was forgotten.
Playing like the team that finished second in the Big Ten last season, NU dominated conference foe Purdue, taking all four games for its first series sweep since 2003.
The Cats played their best ball of the season despite having no shot at qualifying for the Big Ten tournament, a fact that was not lost on coach Paul Stevens.
"I saw guys who were willing to give it all and leave everything on the field," he said. "These guys never gave in, and I'm really proud of them for that."
Statistically, the Cats had by far their best weekend of the year. NU (18-36, 9-23 Big Ten) was particularly hot at the plate, where they set a season high with 43 runs for the weekend. Leading the way were two of NU's Jakes, junior Owens and freshman Goebbert, who combined to bat a torrid .719 (23 for 32) for the series.
Stevens had high praise for his team's offensive explosion.
"We swung the bats real well this weekend," he said. "We got a lot of big two-strike and two-out hits."
The Cats' pitching staff, led by its three senior starters, also excelled against the Boilermakers (22-32, 11-20). Leading the way was senior Andrew Smith, who completed a miraculous road to recovery with a complete-game win Friday.
Just five months removed from ACL surgery, Smith earned his first win of the season in his final NU start. The senior surrendered three runs on nine hits for his first victory since defeating the Boilermakers on May 21 of last year.
"I felt like I've finally come together physically," he said. "Knowing that it might be my last time to pitch, it was easy to lay it out there."
The NU bats gave Smith all the run support he needed, pounding three Purdue pitchers for 12 runs on a season-high 21 hits. Every Cats starter had at least one hit and one run scored, and six players recorded multi-hit games.
"We've had some bounces go our way," said senior Caleb Fields, who went 4 for 5 on the game. "But overall we were just on top of our game at the plate."
NU got even more bounces Saturday, when they proved Stevens' adage, "The harder you work, the luckier you get." At one point during the first game of the doubleheader, the Cats recorded four straight two-out singles, none of which traveled more than 100 feet.
The infield hits led to a four-run fourth inning, giving the Cats a 5-0 lead and erasing memories of dozens of bad breaks for NU this season.
"We've been waiting all year for those bounces," Owens said. "We've gotten a couple tough breaks this year, and getting them this weekend was great."
The Cats worked hard enough late in the contest to earn that luck. Twice, Purdue cut the NU lead to a single run. Both times the Cats responded, scoring four runs in the final two innings to secure the 9-6 win.
After winning the second game of the doubleheader to ensure their first series win of the season, NU returned Sunday looking for its first sweep since April 2003, when they took four from Illinois.
The Cats played more like national No. 1 Vanderbilt in the early going, cruising to an 11-0 lead through six innings. Senior Dan Schwartz shut down Purdue in his final collegiate start, scattering two runs on six hits in seven innings of work.
Owens came into the game needing two hits to break the single season hit record of 82, set in 2005 by Pat McMahon. The junior needed only three innings to break it, singling in his first two at-bats to claim the record.
"Obviously to me it's more important that we swept the series," Owens, who finished the season with 85 hits, said after the game. "But when something like this comes along, I mean, it feels good."
All 28 of the Cats shared Owens' good feeling after the 11-5 win, which gave NU a season-high four-game winning streak. One senior, however, was left musing about what might have been.
"To be honest, it's satisfying, but - I don't want to say it's disappointing - this is how we thought we could be all year," said hurler Ryan Myers, who picked up the win in Saturday's second game. "Better late than never, I guess."
The bittersweet aspects of the weekend were overshadowed by NU's overwhelming success in the four games. After a series where the Cats trailed for only two innings and outscored Purdue 43-20, Owens was optimistic about the team's chances down the road.
"There were a lot of things that were really tough to swallow this year, but it's great to finish this way," Owens said. "We showed the younger guys what it takes, and we have something to build off of for next year."
Reach Jake Simpson at james-simpson@northwestern.edu.
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