Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
South Florida
Baseball Falls to South Florida, 6-2
3/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 24, 2003
TAMPA, Fla. -
South Florida Box Score in PDF Format
Northwestern's baseball team dropped a 6-2 decision to South Florida Monday night at Red McEwen Field in Tampa, Fla., in a game that saw NU use 20 of the 25 players they brought on their Spring Break trip. In all, NU used six pitchers while 17 different Wildcats took swings at the plate.
NU's only runs came in the top of the eighth inning when David Gresky (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) hit a one-out double down the left-field line to score freshman Anthony Wycklendt (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) and sophomore Jason Krynski (Niles, Ill./Niles West).
In that inning, freshman Mark Ori (Niles, Ill./Maine South) led off with a fly out to right field and was followed by a Wycklendt walk. Wycklendt advanced to third on Krynski's pinch-hit single down the right-field line. The two scored when Gresky pummeled the first pitch he saw into right field.
NU did make a game of it in the ninth, loading the bases with one out. South Florida, who was using their fourth pitcher of the game, loaded the bases and was forced to bring in their closer. NU loaded the bases on a Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) single and two walks. The USF closer, who had made 41 appearances in 2002, did his job and retired the next two Wildcats to earn his seventh save of 2003.
Ori started the game on the mound for NU, throwing three innings of one-hit baseball. He was relieved of his pitching duties by a coach's decision as NU implemented the platoon system for the pitching staff to get ready for the Big Ten season starting later this week. Ori also went 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk.
Junior Dan Pohlman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) relieved Ori in the fourth, giving up four runs, three earned in 2.1 innings of work. Pohlman started the game in left field. Sophomore Stanley Finch (Lubbock, Texas/Cooper) relieved Pohlman and finished the sixth inning without giving up a hit. Pohlman stayed in the game, moving back to the outfield for the remainder of the game.
Freshman Dan Brauer (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South) started the seventh inning of the mound and lasted just two-thirds of the inning, giving up two runs on two hits and walking two batters. Sophomore Chris Hayes (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) recorded the last out of the inning on a strikeout.
Mikrut changed positions to throw the ninth as he had played shortstop for the first eight innings of the game. Mikrut did not give up a hit and struck out two in the final inning. He also went 3-for-4 at the plate, raising his season average to .431.
Catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) was the only other Wildcat to have multiple hits as he went 2-for-3 from the plate.
NU is next in action when they open their conference season against Ohio State. The two teams are scheduled to play a four-game series beginning at 1 p.m., March 27 at Academy Park in Bradenton, Fla.
