ELGIN, Ill. – Jimmy Skiff delivered one of his best starts of the year and Purdue University Northwest’s defense held on late in a tight 3-2 win over top-seeded Judson University Saturday in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference elimination game at the Eagles’ Hoffer Field in Elgin, Ill.
The Pride (30-16) eliminated league regular-season champion Judson (37-18) with the victory and advance to Monday’s third round, where fourth-seeded PNW will face off with seventh-seeded St. Francis (Ill.), an 11-4 loser vs. St. Ambrose Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. CT in Elgin.
Should the Pride win Monday’s contest, they will play later that day in the 7:30 p.m. contest for a chance to play in Tuesday’s tournament semifinal.
Skiff (Dyer, Ind./Andrean) picked up his fourth win of the year in a seven-inning gem, scattering seven hits, striking out seven, walking two and allowing just one earned run. He kept the Eagles off the board until the top of the seventh, behind strong command and a tight defense behind him, which included stellar defensive plays from Mike Mikulich (Hebron, Ind./Hebron).
PNW opened the scoring in the fourth, when Tyler Kenjic (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) scored on a Judson throwing error, followed by an RBI fielder’s choice by Luke Schmidt (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) to score a sliding pinch-runner Jono Bigger (Roselawn, Ind./North Newton) and put the Pride up, 2-0.
Judson added one run in the seventh, but PNW would add one more score in the bottom of the frame when Mikulich, running for pinch-hitter Andrew Atchison (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) who walked, stole third and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.
The Eagles would threaten in the seventh and plated a run, but PNW closer Brody Kutch (La Porte, Ind./La Porte) held on for his sixth save of the year to give the Pride the win.
Kenjic finished 2-for-3 with run scored, Austin Kordik (West Chicago, Ill./Community) was 2-for-3 and Tyler Crussen (Wheeler, Ind./Wheeler), Jake Lindeman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) added hits in PNW’s six-hit effort.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, May 5, 2017
Game #1: No. 5 seed Saint Xavier 13, No. 4 seed Purdue Northwest 2
Game #2: No. 3 seed St. Ambrose 13, No. 6 seed Robert Morris 2
Game #3: No. 7 seed St. Francis 3, No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 2
Game #4: No. 8 seed Indiana South Bend 8, No. 1 seed Judson 5
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Game #5: St. Ambrose 11, St. Francis 4
Game #6: St. Xavier 13, Indiana South Bend 7
Game #7: Purdue Northwest 3, Judson 2
Game #8: Robert Morris vs Olivet Nazarene, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Game #9: St. Ambrose vs. St. Xavier— 10:30 am
Game #10: St. Francis vs. Purdue Northwest — 1:30 pm
Game #11: Indiana South Bend vs. Winner-Game #8 — 4:30 pm
Game #12: Winner-Game #10 vs. Winner-Game #11 — 7:30 pm
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Game #13: Loser-Game #9 vs. Winner-Game #12 — 4:30 pm
Game #14: Winner-Game #9 vs. Winner-Game #13 — 7:30 pm (Championship)