Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Indiana *
'Cats Drop Big Ten Opener To Indiana, 15-9
4/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 2, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - After waiting a day for the rain to stop to start their four-game series against Indiana, the Northwestern baseball team dropped their Big Ten opener 15-9. Despite out-hitting the Hoosiers 14-13, an Indiana six-run sixth inning dropped NU to 9-9 overall, 0-1 in the conference.
Starter George Kontos (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) was his own worst enemy in the bottom of the second inning. Three walks, a hit batsman and four singles allowed the Hoosiers to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Kontos pitched just two innings, giving up six runs on four hits.
NU got one of those runs back in the top of the third, taking advantage of an Indiana error. A misplayed looper to second base allowed third baseman Michael Kalina (Munster, Ind./Munster) to score. Kalina doubled to lead off the inning.
Junior Julio Siberio (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) relieved Kontos to start the third inning, but did not fare much better. Siberio pitched four innings, giving up six runs on six hits.
After IU took a 9-1 lead after four complete innings, NU plated three runs of its own in the top of the sixth inning.
In the sixth, NU loaded the bases with one out. Anthony Wycklendt (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) was hit by a pitch to tally the easy RBI and Max Mann (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood) singled in a run. Still with the bases loaded and two outs, Stanley Finch (Lubbock, Texas/Cooper) became NU's second hit batsman of the inning, plating NU's third run of the inning. A bases-loaded groundout ended the rally.
Indiana did not quit, scoring three more runs in the sixth inning, to lead 12-4.
NU scored two more runs in the top of the seventh, as catcher Pat McMahon (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel) drove his third hit of the game over the right field fence. The two-run homer was his third of the season. Ori scored on McMahon's blast, reaching on a single.
Senior Chris Davidson (Huntington Hills, Mich./Berkley) relieved Siberio to start the seventh and became a victim of the error. After a shaky start that included three-straight singles to load the bases, Davidson got a pop out for the first out. A taylor-made double-play ball was misplayed, allowing two IU runs to cross the plate. A sacrifice fly, which would have been the third out of the inning, plated the third and final run of the inning for IU.
NU plated three runs in the top of the ninth, but it was too little too late.
In the ninth, Wycklendt hit an RBI single and Mann smashed a two-RBI triple to deep centerfield for NU's three runs. Mann leads the team with four triples this season.
Senior Mike Phelps (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) had a pinch-hit single in the ninth.
Ori, McMahon and Mann all recorded three hits in the game.
NU and Indiana will play a doubleheader, tomorrow, game one beginning at 1 p.m. (EST).
