Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Purdue
Baseball Tops Purdue in Series Finale, 10-5
4/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the first time in the four-game weekend series vs. Purdue, Northwestern took an early lead when catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) drove Boilermaker Heath Uppencamp's 3-1 offering over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the season. Padgett's shot was a two-run home run.
Purdue came right back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs on three hits to take a 3-2 lead.
Wildcat right fielder Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) tied the score at three in the third inning, hitting his fourth round-tripper of the year taking a first pitch fastball over the left field wall.
NU threatened in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with one out. New Boilermaker pitcher, Sean O'Neil, induced a Matt Brimmer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) fly-out to left and an Eric Roeder (Onsted, Mich./Onsted) strikeout to end the inning.
In the fifth, Ackley tattered his second home run of the game, launching a 0-1 offering deep over the left centerfield wall. Ackley leads the team with five home runs.
Purdue tied the score in the bottom of the fifth when Nick McIntryre hit a one out double and advanced to third on a James Happ (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy) wild pitch. McIntrye crossed the plate on a John Gusich sacrifice fly to left.
The Purdue run in the fifth inning was the first run Happ has given up in his college career. He threw 20.0 innings before surrendering a run.
NU exploded for six runs in the fifth on four hits and one Boilermaker miscue. Brimmer got things started with a one-out double and advancing to third on Eric Roeder's (Onsted, Mich./Onsted) single. Junior Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) walked to load the bases. Ackley hit a ground ball to short that was bobbled, leaving everyone safe 90 feet ahead. With the bases still loaded, sophomore Dan Pohlman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) singled driving in two runs and putting Ackley on third. After a Purdue pitching change, freshman Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) hit his second triple of the season, clearing the bases. Mikrut scored on sophomore Jason Krynski's (Niles, Ill./Niles West) sacrifice fly to right, ending the Wildcat scoring.
Senior right-hander Zach Schara (Madison, Wis./West) threw the final two innings, giving up one run while striking out two. Schara's two punch-outs leaves him 22 shy of the NU career record (273) held by Grady Hall (1983-86).
Happ, who relieved Pohlman, recorded his first win in college, throwing three and one-third innings of relief.
The win improves NU to 10-18 overall and 3-8 in the Big Ten. They are next in action when they face intra-city rival Chicago State on Tuesday. The Cougars defeated NU back on April 2, 15-12. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
