Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan St
Baseball Team Splits with Michigan State
4/22/2000 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
April 22, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern baseball team split with Michigan State Saturday afternoon, dropping a wild first game 5-4 but coming back behind a strong pitching performance from senior Dan Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) to win the nightcap 3-2.
The Wildcats are now 20-18 overall (5-9 Big Ten), while the Spartans are 14-24 (4-9 Big Ten). They will conclude the four-game series with another doubleheader tomorrow at Rocky Miller Park starting at 1 p.m.
In Game 1, Northwestern looked like it was in good shape after one inning, manufacturing a pair of runs on two hits. However, the normally reliable Gabe Ribas (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick) was touched up by Michigan State. He escaped jams in the first three innings with double plays, but in the fourth the Spartans got to him for a run on a single by Chris McCuiston.
Michigan State chased Ribas in the sixth, putting together a rally after two quick outs. Kyle Geswein doubled to right, then scored on a single by Rick Court. Michael Nall (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) was called from the bullpen, but McCuiston walked and then Troy Bergman singled home Court to give MSU its first lead.
The Wildcats responded with a two-out rally of their own. Consecutive singles by J.P. Williamson (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest), Bob Dainton (Mokena, Ill./Lockport) and Joe Hietpas (Appleton, Wis./North) plated two runs to give Northwestern the lead back.
However, a pair of Northwestern errors to lead off the MSU seventh proved costly. One batter after the second error, Bob Malek singled to right to score a run, and then after Geswein was intentionally walked Court hit a sacrifice fly that scored Ted Demetral with the winning run.
Nall took the loss, while Michigan State starter Josh Axelson got the win. Domanick Squires pitched the seventh for the Spartans to get the save.
In Game 2, Padgett continued his standout pitching of late, scattering eight hits but seldom finding trouble. Northwestern gave him all the runs he would need in the second, loading the bases with one out. Frank Favia (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) singled home the first run, Jeremy Kurella (Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin) brought home the next run when he was hit by a pitch, and Williamson hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate the third and deciding run.
Padgett allowed single runs in the fifth and sixth, but nothing more to improve to 4-1 overall this season.
