Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Baseball Team Beaten by Minnesota, 12-5
4/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern allowed Minnesota to score four unearned runs in the first inning Sunday and never recovered, falling to the Gophers, 12-5, at Rocky Miller Park.
The loss dropped the Wildcats to 18-17 (4-8 Big Ten), while Minnesota improved to 22-15 (8-4 Big Ten). Nevertheless, it was Northwestern's most successful weekend against the Gophers since 1995, as the teams split four games evenly.
With two runners on and two outs in the first, Minnesota's Jack Hannahan lined a shot to first base that Bob Dainton (Mokena, Ill./Lockport) couldn't get ahold of. The ball skittered out to right field, allowing a run to score and opening the floodgates. Before NU starter J.J. Standring (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) could get another out four Gopher runs had scored. Minnesota then touched him up for another run in the fourth.
For the Gophers, meanwhile, Ben Birk was perfect through three innings before Northwestern chased him in the fourth. Jeremy Kurella (Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin) tripled to lead off, then scored when J.P. Williamson's (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest) grounder to third was held too long by Hannahan. Joe Hietpas (Appleton, Wis./North) and Pat Thompson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) singled after that to score Williamson. However, the Wildcats could not dent the lead further, as Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) struck out with two out and the bases loaded.
Minnesota responded with four runs in the fifth, then another in the seventh to make the score 10-2. Northwestern got three runs in the bottom of the seventh on four hits, but the Gophers closed out the scoring with two more in the top of the eighth to cruise.
Northwestern will be on the road Tuesday, meeting Valparaiso at 3 p.m. in Indiana. Next weekend will be "Pack the Parks" weekend at Rocky Miller, as Michigan State comes to Evanston for a Big Ten weekend starting Friday at 3 p.m.
