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Northwestern baseball (5-2, 0-0 B1G) flexed its prowess and potential this weekend in a thrilling four-game sweep of Cornell and Boston College at the Hub City Invitational.
Each win showcased different aspects of Ben Greenspan’s squad — offensive depth, production with runners on base, plate discipline and clutch pitching. But the biggest takeaway from this weekend was the Wildcats’ resilience and tenacity when their backs were against the wall and the margin for error was thin.
Let’s unpack the successful weekend in Spartanburg.
Northwestern 13, Cornell 5 (Friday, Feb 20)
The offensive momentum from NU’s 17-6 win over Rice to close a disappointing opening weekend clearly carried over into Friday, as the bats were clicking on all cylinders. The Wildcats posted 13 runs on 14 hits, making it the first time since April 2022 where NU had back-to-back games with 13+ runs. 30 runs over two games are also Northwestern’s most in that span since 2005.
The offense got started quickly on Friday, with Owen McElfatrick recording an RBI single in the first inning. While Cornell responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI single of its own, NU’s offense proved to be more explosive in the second frame. After a single from Jay Slater, Carter Danz recorded his first career hit — a double to put runners on second and third. Sacrifice flies from Jack Counsell and Jack Lausch brought Slater and Danz home, and made NU’s lead 3-1.
The ‘Cats offense kept rolling over the next three innings. Nick Barron launching a two-run shot for his first career home run, while NU got RBIs from Lausch and Ryan Kucherak along with a two-run triple from Slater. After five innings, NU possessed a 10-2 lead.
While Cornell made a dent in that lead with three runs in the sixth, Northwestern got those runs right back in the top of the eight on a McElfatrick sacrifice fly. Logan de Groot got involved in the offensive avalanche with his first RBI as a Wildcat on a bases-loaded walk. That was the last of 13 runs Northwestern would post, with eight different Wildcats recording an RBI.
On the mound, Sam Hliboki picked up his first win of the year. In his 5.0 innings pitched, he allowed four runs on six hits, but also recorded six strikeouts — his most ever as a Wildcat. Tommy Bridges took over for Hliboki in relief. It was the sophomore’s first appearance as a Wildcat, and it was one to remember, as Bridges pitched 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and earned the save.
First career appearance
First career save
Strong outing for @thomasbridges41 in his Northwestern debut! pic.twitter.com/F7SDIdb0Pe
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) February 20, 2026
Northwestern 6, Cornell 5 (Saturday, Feb. 21)
In the first leg of a doubleheader, Northwestern’s subsequent matchup against Cornell looked a little different, but garnered the same result. Unlike Friday’s offensive beatdown, this game appeared to be headed for a Big Red victory, until NU rallied back from a three-run deficit in the ninth to tie the score. A thrilling extra innings battle ensued, capped off by Lausch’s walk-off two-run single, which sealed a Wildcat victory.
Like the first game, NU scored in the first inning on a McElfatrick RBI triple. While the offense went into a lull after that, Garrett Shearer kept Cornell’s hitters at bay with 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. He continued to look sharp in his second game back from injury, and his flawless outing kept the score at 1-0.
With Shearer not on the mound, the Big Red took advantage, scoring three runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh. The ’Cats offense continued to struggle, and Cornell took a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning.
That’s when lighting struck. After a single from Jackson Freeman and walks to McElfatrick and Barron loaded the bases, Noah Ruiz drove in two runs with a single, and Griffin Mills followed with a sacrifice fly to level the score at 4-4, forcing extra innings.
Cornell made a strong push in the 10th, but left the bases loaded as Christian Forniss got out of the jam. His 3.0 scoreless innings went a long way towards keeping NU in this game.
Cornell was able to tack on a run in the 11th inning off a passed ball from Dominic DeLoreto, who was making his college debut. But once again, Northwestern wasn’t done yet. In the bottom of the 11th, Lausch stepped up the plate with the bases loaded, two outs, and his team down one run. A sacrifice fly would tie the game, and a hit would likely win it. The latter occurred — as Lausch put the barrel to the ball and knocked a two-run single into center field, scoring Ruiz and Mills and sending the Wildcat bench into a frenzy.
While Lausch was the hero, the win occurred primarily because of great plate discipline, as Northwestern had a season-high 12 walks. The Wildcat offense caught fire at the right time, and the pitchers got the job done in high stakes situations.
Northwestern 5, Boston College 4 (Saturday, Feb. 21)
On the second half of a doubleheader, Northwestern repeated the same script as the first game — it came back late in the game, and secured a one-run win. Only this time, it came against Boston College.
The Eagles struck first, hitting a two-run homer in the top of the first. But the Wildcats, as they had done all weekend, got those runs back in the bottom of the second on RBIs from Mills and Counsell.
Boston College added to its lead in the fourth and sixth innings, possessing a 4-2 advantage. But once again, NU found itself in a hole and climbed out of it, rallying in the bottom of the sixth on a home run from Barron and a two-run triple by Counsell. The inning ended with a 5-4 Wildcats lead, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Ryan Weaver completed his second start as a Wildcat, tossing 5.2 innings and giving up four runs and five hits while recording four strikeouts. Jake Rifenburg was dominant in relief, earning his first career victory with 3.1 scoreless innings. Again, the pitching wasn’t flawless, but in the clutch it came through.
Northwestern 8, Boston College 5 (Sunday, Feb. 22)
Sometimes, all it takes is one offensive outburst to secure a victory. Northwestern got one in the eighth inning of Sunday’s clash with Boston College, scoring seven runs to secure a Hub City Invitational sweep.
Both teams took advantage of self-inflicted errors to pick up their first runs — BC got on the board with a NU wild pitch, while NU leveled the score on two fielding errors by the Eagles. Boston College retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth, with a two-run single making it 3-1.
While NU’s offense was quiet most of the afternoon, it exploded in the eight inning: seven runs on five walks, three hits and one error. Slater got the scoring started with a bases-loaded RBI single, while Counsell tied the game on a sacrifice fly. Mills reached home on a wild pitch to give NU the lead. The rest were insurance runs — McElfatrick and Barron drew bases-loaded walks, while Ruiz extended the lead with a two-run single to make it 8-3.
While BC tacked on two more runs in the final innings, the Wildcat lead was never in question, and they rode Drew Dickson’s first career save to secure the four-game sweep.
Justin Fryer was solid in his 2.2 innings on the mound, earning his first career win by allowing just one run, two hits and two walks.
First Career Win for @Justinfryer35pic.twitter.com/FD3ncjiqbX
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) February 22, 2026
Up next
While the ‘Cats feasted in Spartanburg, they’ll need to carry that momentum into their upcoming weekend road series against No. 5 Georgia Tech. It will be the toughest task they face yet, but if there’s anything this weekend proved, it’s that you cannot write off the Wildcats until the final out is recorded.
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