Feb. 24, 2007

Box Score

BEAUMONT, Texas - Arkansas State scored five first-inning runs with the help of four Northwestern errors and finished off the Wildcats 8-5 Saturday afternoon at the Cardinal Classic in Beaumont, Texas. NU did grind out 10 hits, but committed a total of six errors to fall to 1-4 on the year and 0-2 in the tournament. Northwestern wraps up tournament play tomorrow with an 11 a.m. contest against Creighton.

Freshman Cole Livermore (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) started on the mound for NU and pitched five complete innings. He gave up six runs, but was the unlucky recipient of five errors in the field behind him. Only two of the six runs were earned. Livermore (0-1) has pitched five innings in each of his two collegiate starts.

After ASU put up five in the top of the first inning, NU did get one run back in the bottom half of the inning. Center fielder Aaron Newman (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) led off with a single and quickly stole second. He advanced to third when second baseman Jake Owens (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) singled to center. Right fielder Antonio Mule (Lodi, N.J./Lodi) then singled to left field to score Newman.

The Indians scored another run in the top of the third inning on a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk.

NU responded with two runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Newman reached on an error and went to second on the throw. After walks to Owens and Mule loaded the bases, left fielder Caleb Fields (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) drove a pitch to left field to score Newman and Owens.

In the top of the sixth inning, freshman lefty Joe Muraski (Rothschild, Wis./D.C. Everest) made his collegiate debut on the mound. He made quick work of ASU not allowing a hit until the eighth inning. Unfortunately it was a solo home run to make the score 7-3 Arkansas State. Muraski pitched four complete innings, gave up two runs on three hits.

The Wildcats mounted a comeback in the bottom of the final inning, scoring two runs and bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs.

Newman got things started with a one-out double to right field and advanced to third on a groundout. Mule followed suit, hitting his third double of the season to right field, which scored Newman . After a wild pitch sent Mule to third, Fields knocked in his third run of the game with a single to left field. Fields then went to second on a wild pitch and freshman Jake Goebbert (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) was walked to bring the tying run to the plate. A strikeout ended the contest.

Offensively, Northwestern reached double figures in hits for the fourth time in five games. Individually, Fields was 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Mule was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. At the leadoff spot, Newman was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Mule leads the squad with seven RBI, while Newman has scored seven runs so far this season.