Baseball: Northwestern swept for the second consecutive time in Ann Arbor

Three of Northwestern’s last six games in conference play have been decided by one run. The ‘Cats have lost every single one. The danger zone is imminent for Northwestern (14-21-1, 5-13 B1G) in its quest for its 10th Big Ten Tournament appearance in program history, which would be its first since reaching the finals back in 2017.

A series sweep to Michigan (24-15, 10-8 B1G) did the ‘Cats no favors, as they now find themselves in a four-way at the bottom of the conference. The weekend featured various movement in Ben Greenspan’s lineup, as each game featured a different leadoff hitter. Nick Barron was slotted in the leadoff spot in game one, followed by Owen McElfatrick (NU’s primary leadoff batter this season) in the middle game and Jack Counsell in the series finale.

The three infielders went a combined 2-for-23 at the plate, with the two hits being credited to McElfatrick. As a team, the ‘Cats batted . 208, which wasn’t enough to pace the Wolverines’ .

271 average over the weekend. Game 1: Michigan 7, Northwestern 6 The first three innings from Ray Fisher Stadium were quite fun for fans of electric offense. Northwestern pieced together a two-out rally with quality at-bats from Noah Ruiz, Jackson Freeman and McElfatrick.