Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Purdue
Baseball Team Downs Purdue, 4-3
5/8/2000 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
May 8, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern University baseball team recorded just six hits Monday afternoon at Purdue's Lambert Field, but parlayed four of them into four second-inning runs to down the Boilermakers, 4-3.
That gave the Wildcats a 3-1 series win over the Boilers for the weekend, and provided a serious lift as NU tries to remain in contention for a Big Ten playoff spot. Currently the Wildcats are in sixth place with an 11-13 record, which would put them into the six-team field. Iowa is seventh at 9-15, while Michigan and Michigan State have 16 losses apiece. Next weekend, Northwestern hosts second-place Penn State while Iowa and Michigan meet each in Ann Arbor.
Overall, Northwestern is now 28-23. Purdue finishes the weekend 31-20 (14-10 Big Ten).
On Monday, Northwestern handed Purdue three runs in the first inning but got them back right away in the top of the second before pitchers Zach Schara (Madison, Wis./West) and Russ Morgan of Purdue engaged in a shutout contest the rest of the way.
Schara, the Wildcats' sophomore ace, was in command after allowing three unearned runs in the first. Amazingly, he gave Purdue at least one baserunner in all nine innings -- the Boilers totaled 11 hits on the day -- but allowed just four to reach second and one to reach third in gaining his fifth straight win and his second complete-game victory in six days.
After an error to lead off Purdue's first inning at the plate opened the door to three unearned runs, Northwestern came right back to gain a lead it would not relinquish. Pat Thompson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) was hit by Morgan's first pitch of the second inning, and then Eric Roeder (Onsted, Mich./Onsted) stung a first-pitch single up the middle. Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) hit his second offering to right, loading the bases, and then J.J. Standring (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) ripped the first pitch he saw up the middle for another single, scoring two runs.
Frank Favia (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) advanced Standring and Ackley with a sacrifice bunt, and then Jeremy Kurella (Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin) singled to score Standring and tie the game. J.P. Williamson (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest) gave NU the lead when he hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Ackley.
From there Schara took care of Purdue. The Boilers' best chance to tie came in the sixth. With one out and a runner on second, Purdue's Daniel Underwood ripped a shot that Favia snared with a leaping play at third base. Given the reprieve, Schara induced a flyout to right field to close out the inning unharmed.
Before next weekend's critical final Big Ten weekend, which begins Friday at Rocky Miller Park, the Wildcats host Valparaiso at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the final nonconference home game of 2000.
