Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Northern Ill
Baseball Team Splits Twinbill With NIU
4/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Led by a strong pitching performance from sophomore Ryan Bos (Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich) in Game 1, the Northwestern University baseball team split a doubleheader with Northern Illinois Tuesday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park.
The Wildcats took Game 1, 6-3, and then fell in Game 2, 13-11. The split gives Northwestern a 23-19 overall record.
Bos, who was a freshman All-America last year coming out of the bullpen, strutted his stuff as the starter Tuesday in Game 1. The lefty went into the seventh inning, scattering four hits and allowing just three runs. Head coach Paul Stevens brought in Ben Dodd (Belleville, Ill./Belleville) after Bos walked a batter and allowed a single to lead off the seventh. Dodd retired the next three batters to end the game.
Northwestern, meanwhile, had all the runs it would need after three innings. In the first, Jeremy Kurella (Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin) led off with a single and scored two batters later on a single by Bob Dainton (Mokena, Ill./Lockport), who scored two batters later himself on a double by Pat Thompson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville). In the third, Joe Hietpas (Appleton, Wis./North) and Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) sandwiched RBI doubles around a sacrifice fly by Wesley Robinson (Bradenton, Fla./St. Stephen's).
Kurella scored NU's final run in the fourth, stealing two bases after a reaching on an error, then scoring on a groundout by Hietpas.
In Game 2, Christopher Spiering (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) and Dodd struggled mightily, as NIU's bats came to life and recorded all 13 of their runs and 13 of their 14 hits in the first three innings. The Huskies also took advantage of Wildcat errors, scoring five unearned runs including four in a seven-run third inning.
Northwestern made a game of it, though. Down, 13-2, the Wildcats scored five unearned runs with two out in the fourth inning. With Frank Favia (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) on first, Kurella launched a fly ball to left that was misplayed. Kurella advanced to second while Favia scored. Kurella stole third - his fourth stolen base of the day - then scored on a single by J.P. Williamson (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest). Dainton singled, and then Hietpas brought Williamson and Dainton home with a double. Another double by Thompson scored Hietpas, before Kris Musselman (Indian Springs, Ohio/Fairfield) ended the rally with a flyout.
In the sixth, Thompson rocked a three-run homer to left field, and Kurella followed an inning later with a solo shot. But they proved too little, too late.
Northwestern is off until Friday, when they meet Iowa in Iowa City for the beginning of a four-game Big Ten series. With 12 games to play in the conference, the Wildcats are currently sixth in the standings which would put them in the postseason tournament
