Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Iowa
Baseball Team Drops Another to Iowa, 8-6
4/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 30, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - For the second straight day, Iowa used the big inning late in the game and it proved too much for the Northwestern baseball team to overcome. A five-run seventh by the Hawkeyes turned a 6-3 Wildcat lead into an 8-6 deficit, and NU could not recover.
The win gave Iowa a 3-1 series victory for the weekend, and kept Northwestern's Big Ten postseason hopes in a tenuous spot. At 8-12 in the conference, the Wildcats remain in the sixth and final spot, but suddenly all four teams below them in the conference are within three losses with eight games to play. In addition, NU finishes conference play with Purdue and Penn State -- the Boilermakers are third in the Big Ten, while the Nittany Lions hold the top spot.
Things looked good for Northwestern early on Sunday. In the first, J.P. Williamson (Oak Park, Ill.) got all the way to third base when the Iowa centerfielder misplayed his fly ball, and then scored when Bob Dainton (Mokena, Ill.) laced a single to right. The Wildcats scored again in the third when Dainton tripled in Jeremy Kurella (Dunedin, Fla.) with two out.
Iowa came back to tie it off Wildcat starter J.J. Standring (Chicago, Ill.) in the bottom half. With two outs and a runner on, three straight singles brought home two Hawkeye runs. A third was denied, though, when Dainton gunned down Alex Dvorsky trying to score from second base to end the inning. One inning later, however, the Hawkeyes got their third run on a bunt single, a conventional single and a groundout.
Northwestern exploded in the fifth. After Kris Musselman (Indian Springs, Ohio) walked to lead off, Kurella singled to center to advance Musselman to third. Both runners then advanced a base when the Iowa shortstop misthrew the ball trying to pick Kurella off on the play. Williamson scored Kurella on a single, and then Dainton roped a single for his third hit of the day. Iowa replaced starter Mitch Price with Dyson Miguel, but Joe Hietpas (Appleton, Wis.) advanced Williamson to third on a fly ball, and Pat Thompson (Libertyville, Ill.) grounded out to score him. Brandon Ackley then just missed a home run to center, settling for a double to score Dainton.
That lead seemed safe as the game progressed. Standring allowed one hit in both the fifth and sixth innings but escaped harm, setting the table for the bullpen.
Ryan Bos (Barrington, Ill.) came in to start the seventh, and was victimized by some tough luck. The first batter, Jim Reid, hitting a seeing-eye single down the right-field line, and then Brian Burks laced a single up the middle. The next batter, Kurt Vitense, roped a grounder that was snared by Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo.). Tharp, trying to pull off the double play, instead threw the ball past Kurella at second base into left field, allowing Reid to score and Burks to advance to third. The next batter, Brad Carlson, uncorked a home run deep to right and gave Iowa the lead.
Michael Nall (Schaumburg, Ill.) replaced Bos on the hill, but before he got out of the inning a Hawkeye single and triple scored an insurance run.
That allowed Iowa to go to closer Reed Pawelk for the second straight day, and the freshman allowe two hits but no runs to get the save.
Northwestern will be at Notre Dame Tuesday evening. First pitch is scheduled in South Bend for 6 p.m.
