Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Nc Wilmington
Baseball Shuts Down UNC-Wilmington, 8-1
2/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Sophomore righthander Zach Schara was simply overpowering Friday night, giving Northwestern its second straight standout pitching performance as the Wildcats downed UNC-Wilmington, 8-1, on the first day of the Seahawks' Ralston Purina Baseball Challenge.
Northwestern improved to 2-3 on the season, while UNCW fell to 5-4.
Schara struck out a tournament-record and career-high 16 -- including seven in a row at one point -- and allowed just one run on four hits in going the distance. He allowed just five baserunners for the game and mowed down 15 consecutive Seahawks in the middle innings.
Northwestern, meanwhile, got all the offense it would need in the first three innings, tacking up one run in each frame. The Wildcats blew the game open in the seventh, tallying four runs, then added another in the ninth for good measure.
The Wildcats were led offensively by Jeremy Kurella, J.P. Williamson and Joe Hietpas. The trio collected three hits apiece, and both Kurella and Hietpas scored twice. Jason Anderson knocked in three runs, and Kris Musselman provided muscle at the end of the lineup with his first home run of the year.
In other scores on the day, Connecticut defeated Rider, 8-3, and Richmond shut out Monmouth, 6-0. Northwestern will meet Richmond Saturday afternoon, then conclude play Sunday against UConn.
