Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois
Baseball Wins In Extra Innings, 3-1
4/28/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 28, 2002
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After waiting all day Saturday for the rain to quit falling, Northwestern's baseball team decided it wanted to make up for not playing yesterday, taking game one of Sunday's doubleheader to extra innings. Junior first baseman Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) was the hero, belting the game-winning home run in the top of the ninth for a 3-1 win.
Illinois got on the board first when third baseman Luke Simmons hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 1-0 lead.
NU answered in the sixth, scoring a single run without recording a hit. Designated hitter Jason Krynski (Niles, Ill./Niles West) led off with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Matt Brimmer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington). Brimmer crossed the plate when shortstop Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) reached on an Illinois throwing error to first.
In the seventh, both teams went quietly with Ilinois stranding one runner. The teams, scheduled to play two seven-inning games, headed into extra innings with the score tied 1-1.
In the ninth, Tharp's heroics started the inning before Illinois made it interesting by stranding two runners in the bottom half. Wildcat starter Gabe Ribas (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick) had two clutch strikeouts as the Illini put their first two hitters on base with no outs. Ribas got second baseman Brian Raymond to fly out to right, ending the game.
Ribas threw a complete game, giving up just five hits for his fourth win of the season. He struck out a career-high 12 hitters and upped his team-leading strikeout total to 63.
