Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Gophers Bounce Wildcats From Big Ten Tournament, 11-5
5/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2002
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - For the fourth straight game, Northwestern fell behind early as Wildcat starter Ryan Bos (Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich) gave up a single run in the top of the first on Scott Howard's double down the left field line. But this time, the 'Cats could not recover and fell 11-5 to Minnesota in the loser's bracket at the 2002 Big Ten Tournament. The loss eliminated NU from this year's tourney.
The Wildcats came right back in the bottom half of the first as designated hitter Steve Haake (Belleville, Ill./Gibault) lined a first pitch curve ball over the Gopher second baseman, driving in David Gresky (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) from second base. Gresky reached on a one-out single and advanced to second when first baseman Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) was hit by a pitch.
Minnesota took the lead for the second time in the game as Tri-Big Ten Player of the Year Luke Appert hit a two-out home run over the left center field wall. The solo shot gave the Gophers a 2-1 lead.
Northwestern took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) hit a sacrifice fly to right and shortstop Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) slapped a single through the left side on a drawn in Gopher infield. Gresky got in the mix, hitting a sharp ground ball to the Gopher first baseman, who misplayed the hot shot and allowed Mikrut to score from third, giving NU a 4-2 lead.
The Gophers didn't stay down long, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth, to retake the lead, 5-4. The big blow came when Appert drove in his second and third RBI on a bases-loaded single through the right side of the infield.
Minnesota extended its lead in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with one out on Wildcat reliever Andy Adams (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect). Head coach Paul Stevens called on his bullpen for the second time, bringing in senior right-hander Zach Schara (Madison, Wis./West). Schara was greeted by right fielder Jason Kennedy's two-run single through the middle and Appert's two-run double into the right field corner, giving Minnesota a 9-4 lead.
Trying to claw its way back, NU scored a single run in the bottom of the sixth as Gresky hit his 15th double of the season and second of the game, scoring pinch-hitter Todd Morgan (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) from second base.
The Gophers were back at it in the seventh, loading the bases on two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a Schara intentional walk. Just like in the sixth, Stevens went to the bullpen, calling on senior Gabe Ribas (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick). Ribas, like Schara, was greeted by a two-run Kennedy single which gave Minnesota an 11-5 lead.
The 'Cats went quietly the rest of the way as Gopher reliever Dan Anderson gave up just two hits in five and one-third innings of work.
"All of these kids are competitive," said Stevens. "They all have a mission. They all want that opportunity, and guys like him step up and show what they are made of. Today, Anderson showed his coaches what he can do."
"In the beginning of the game, things started to look interesting," said Stevens. "But unfortunately, we fell apart in the middle innings. Overall we played a great game."
NU ends the season with a 26-29 record and its best finish in the Big Ten's postseason tournament, recording two wins and two losses.
Ribas, who threw 10.2 innings in two of NU's four tournament games, was named to the 2002 All-Tournament team, selected by media and tournament personel. Ribas gave up only two runs, pitching on two separate occasions, striking out 11 in the process.
