Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
Baseball Drops Game 1 of Saturday Doubleheader, 3-1
4/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's baseball team dropped Game 1, 3-1, of a Saturday doubleheader at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston, Ill. The Spartans followed good pitching and timely hitting to defeat the 'Cats as tough luck loser Ryan Bos (Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich) falls to 1-5 on the year.
Michigan State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Spartan shortstop Jared Koutnik slapped a line drive single to left field, scoring two runs.
NU challenged State right fielder Bob Malek in the bottom of the third, coming up on the short end as Malek threw out third baseman Josh Lieberman (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) at the plate. Lieberman was in position to score after stroking his second double of the season to left.
MSU continued to swing the bats in the top of the fourth, scoring a single run off a Kevin Crews single to right, giving State a 3-0 lead.
NU got on the board in the bottom of the sixth as sophomore left fielder David Gresky (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) drove in his 15th RBI of the season, lining his sixth double of the season to the gap. Right fielder Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) scored NU's run, reaching on a Michigan State error.
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, NU kept the game interesting in a rally attempt. Catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) drove a ball off the left field wall for his second double of the day. After a Jon Mikrut Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) single to left, Padgett and Mikrut were stranded on base ending the Northwestern threat.
Offensively, Padgett hit two doubles as the only Wildcat with more than one hit.
The 'Cats fall to 8-14 overall, 2-4 in conference action.
