Northwestern hasn't had much luck against Western recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Tigers will venture away from home to square off against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Northwestern is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Northwestern came out on top against Whitko on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run sixth inning. The Tigers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Wildcats a 9-0 shutout. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Teegan Helmle and Michael Arrick did most of the damage at the plate: Helmle went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Arrick went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Nate Correll, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Western unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak on Wednesday. They came up short against Logansport, falling 15-1. The game marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Western also got a good showing from Cooper Wells, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Wells has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Western saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cal Berryman, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Northwestern pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Western, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 10-2.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northwestern hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .317. However, it's not like Western struggles in that department as they've averaged .344. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Northwestern couldn't quite get it done against Western when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 9-4. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
