Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan
Michigan Defeats Northwestern, 9-3
5/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan starting pitcher Michael Penn gave up three first-inning runs but settled down to give up just three more hits the rest of the game as the Wolverines defeated Northwestern 9-3 Friday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich. U-of-M scored in seven of the nine innings, to drop NU's overall record to 23-18, 13-10 in the Big Ten.
In the top of the top of the first inning, NU manufactured a run on a Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) sacrifice fly to left field before first baseman Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) tattooed a line-drive two-run home run over the right-field fence. Third baseman Mark Ori (Niles, Ill./Maine South), who singled in his at bat, scored on the Mikrut sacrifice while Gresky doubled to center and scored on Tharp's fourth round-tripper of the season.
Michigan answered in the bottom half of the inning, plating one run on three hits as Tharp snared a sure line-drive double to end the inning.
U-of-M tacked on three more runs on the bottom of the second, to take a 4-3 lead. Three Wolverine hits and a Wildcat miscue led to the three runs.
The Wolverines tacked on another run in the fourth as a Dan Konecny (Ripon, Wis./Ripon) strikeout victim came around to score after swinging at strike in the dirt to reach first base. A sac bunt and single up the middle allowed the run to score.
The Wolverines were not done, as a leadoff double came around to score, to make the score 6-3 in favor of Michigan after five complete innings.
Michigan continued to pour it on, scoring two runs on two hits and taking advantage of two Wildcat miscues in the inning.
The Wildcat-starting pitcher Konecny was relieved with two outs in the bottom of the sixth by designated hitter Stanley Finch (Lubbock, Texas/Cooper). Finch walked the first batter he faced and induced a fly ball to end the inning.
Wolverine pitcher Penn cruised after the first inning, allowing only one runner past first base for the rest of the game.
The breaks continued to go the Wolverines way as a groundball to third base in the bottom of the seventh turned into an RBI infield single. The Wildcat third baseman, Ori, inadvertently got tangled up with the ground on the transfer from fielding to throwing the ball, which allowed a leadoff walk to cross the plate.
With the win, the Wolverines move into a third-place tie with NU in the Big Ten rankings.
The 'Cats and Wolverines meet again tomorrow in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Ray Fisher Stadium.
