Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Iowa
Wildcats Outlast Hawkeyes In 7-6 Senior Day Win
5/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 4, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - In a game marred by errors, Northwestern sustained a one-run lead to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 7-6 at Rocky Miller Park on Sunday afternoon. The two teams totaled seven errors and 16 hits as neither squad could put the other away. A Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) solo home run in the fifth inning proved to be the difference as starter Dan Pohlman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) threw eight strong innings of relief for the win.
Iowa jumped all over Wildcat starter Mark Ori (Niles, Ill./Maine South) for four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. A leadoff double, a sacrifice bunt, two singles and a home run gave the Hawkeyes a four-run lead.
But as fate would have it, three seniors on Senior Day produced RBI hits in the bottom half of the inning as NU answered with five runs of its own. With the score 4-3 Iowa, right fielder Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) gave NU a 5-4 lead with a single to center, to plate Pohlman and catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe). Padgett crossed the plate after an errant Hawkeye throw allowed him to advance the extra 90 feet. All five Wildcat runs were unearned as Iowa committed two errors in the inning. Padgett and first baseman Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) also had RBI singles.
NU extended its lead to 6-4 when Mikrut blistered what proved to be the game-winning run over the left-field fence. It was Mikrut's fourth round-tripper of the season.
Iowa answered with a home run of its own, as Lance Guyers solo blast to left field bounced off the top of the wall, to make the score 6-5 Northwestern.
NU manufactured a run in the fifth inning, as Josh Lieberman's (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) sacrifice fly to right field scored Pohlman from third. Pohlman singled to center, moved to second on a Padgett sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on an Ackley infield single.
Iowa added another run in the sixth, taking advantage of three Wildcat miscues in the inning. A leadoff walk came around to score on a stolen base and two Wildcat throwing errors.
Iowa would get no closer as the junior right-handed Pohlman shut down the Hawkeye offense, limiting them to four hits in eight innings of work. Pohlman struck out six and walked none after relieving Ori with one on and no outs in the top of the second inning. The appearance was the first for Pohlman in a Big Ten game.
Pohlman also was 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring two runs and walking once. Ackley and Mikrut also finished with two hits apiece.
Winning 3-of-4 from the Hawkeyes and seven of its last eight conference games, NU now stands at 22-17 overall, 13-9 in the Big Ten. NU's 13-9 league mark puts them in third place with two conference weekends remaining. NU travels to fourth place Michigan and fifth place Indiana.
The 'Cats are next in action when they host Chicago State at Rocky Miller Park this Tuesday at 3 p.m.
