Northwestern University Athletics
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Western Michigan
Baseball Falls in Extra Innings to Western Michigan, 3-2
5/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2002
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - For the second time this season, Northwestern's baseball team played free baseball, going 13 innings against Western Michigan at Hyames Field in Kalamazoo. NU lost 3-2 in the bottom of the 13th as the pitcher Brad Mumma singled home the winning run. NU drops to 3-3 in midweek games this season and 19-24 overall.
Runs were hard to come by during the game, but NU found a way to score early, plating a single run in the top of the first inning. With two outs, right fielder Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on first baseman Travis Tharp's (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) line drive single to right field. Both runners advanced two pitches later as Bronco starter Josh Mandarino uncorked his sixth wild pitch of the season, allowing Ackley to score.
Three innings later, the Broncos took a brief lead, scoring two runs on four hits off Wildcat starter Andy Adams (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect). Adams went five and two-third innings before senior right-hander Zach Schara (Madison, Wis./West) pitched just one out. Schara did tally a strikeout, bringing him just five short of the career strikeout record at Northwestern (273).
The Wildcats tied the score an inning later as catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) advanced to third on a wild pitch and came around to score when Bronco catcher Joe Zacharzewski errant throw went into left field. Padgett reached base on a single up the middle and went to second on third baseman Josh Lieberman's (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) single through the right side.
The score would stay tied at 2-2 until the 13th inning, thanks in large part to the play of the game by center fielder David Gresky (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius). With no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Bronco hitter Chad Tarpley, who has a team leading 13 home runs, came to the plate. Tarpley unloaded on a 1-0 fastball from reliever Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) to just left of centerfield that Gresky timed perfectly, jumping up against the fence and robbing him of his 14th round-tripper and keeping NU in the game. Besides striking out two in the two innings he pitched, Mikrut recorded five assists from his shortstop position.
Mikrut who has yet to give a run up this season (seven innings) was on in relief of James Happ (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy). Happ pitched one inning, giving up one hit before striking out the side.
Freshman Evan Blesoff (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) followed Mikrut in the rotation, coming in to pitch the final three and two-third innings which sent Mikrut back to his original fielding (shortstop) position. Blesoff also took over hitting duties, with the designated hitter position being filled by Mikrut's move from shortstop to the mound.
Offensively, only one Wildcat had two hits as left fielder Jason Krynski (Niles, Ill./Niles West) went 2-for-6. Padgett was 1-for-4 while sophomore Dan Pohlman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) was 1-for-2.
The 'Cats are next in action this weekend as they host conference rival Michigan for a four-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m. Friday's game is scheduled to be one nine-inning contest.
