Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Finn's Homer Caps 6-5 Comeback Win Over Minnesota
4/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14, 2008
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Tommy Finn's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning capped a Northwestern comeback as the Wildcats defeated Minnesota 6-5 in the opening game of a doubleheader Monday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park.
The victory clinched at least a split of the series for NU as the two teams split Sunday's doubleheader.
Northwestern (10-15, 5-6) struck first for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jake Owens led off with a double, moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt by Aaron Newman and scored on a double to left by Jake Goebbert. Mike Kalina would following with an RBI single that brought home Goebbert to make it 2-0.
Minnesota (14-17, 4-7) sent eight men to the plate in the top of the second in scoring three times to take the lead. Tim Steidl and Matt Nohelty had run-scoring singles in the frame, while Eric Decker brought home the third run when he reached on a fielder's choice.
After NU left the bases loaded in its half of the second, Eric Jokisch retired the first two Golden Gopher batters in the third. However, the visitors still managed to push across a pair of runs to increase their advantage to 5-2. Following a walk and a single, a fielder's choice to shortstop allowed Chauncy Handran to score all the way from second. Nohelty would later chip in with an RBI double to left to stretch Minnesota's lead to three.
Northwestern got a run back in its half of the third as it opened the inning with three straight hits. Following a leadoff double by Kalina, Chris Lashmet brought him home with a single. Another single by Nate Roberts gave the 'Cats runners at the corners with no one out, but NU was unable to get any closer.
The Wildcats got within one run in the fourth with a two-out rally. Goebbert started things with a single and after Kalina was hit by a pitch Northwestern had two aboard. Lashmet then cashed in with his second run-scoring hit of the day, driving home Goebbert to cut Minnesota's advantage to 5-4.
NU completed the comeback with a two-spot in the bottom of the fifth. Tony Vercelli started the inning with his second hit of the game and was replaced by pinch-runner Kenneth Avila. Max Mann then pinch hit and advanced Avila to second with a bunt before Finn took Allen Bechstein deep to right for his first home run of the season and second of his career.
Matt Havey came on in relief of Jokisch in the sixth and allowed a single and a walk to give Minnesota two on with no one out. But Havey worked out of trouble by getting Nate Hanson to pop up to catcher Chad Noble in foul territory before inducing Jeff DeSmidt into a 6-3 double play to end the threat and maintain the one-run advantage.
Havey then set down the Gophers in order in the seventh to secure his second save of the season. Jokisch (3-2) worked the first five innings to earn the win, allowing five runs and two walks while striking out three.
NU finished with an 11-10 edge in the hit column behind two hits apiece by Goebbert, Kalina, Lashmet and Vercelli. Nohelty had three hits for Minnesota.
The teams are slated to begin the second game of the doubleheader at approximately 2 p.m.
