Northwestern Starts Weekend Series Against Indiana With 8-2 Loss
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 Eric Roeder drove in one of NU's two ninth-inning runs |
May 17, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - With a postseason berth on the line, Northwestern's baseball team dropped the first of a four-game series, 8-2, to the Indiana Hoosiers. The loss drops NU to 22-26 overall, but more importantly, to 12-14 in the Big Ten. Due to the lateness of games around the league, all updates can be found at the Big Ten's website, www.bigten.org.
Indiana got things started early as right-handed starter, Zach Schara (Madison, Wis./West) walked the leadoff hitter in the top of the second. The lead runner was quickly erased on a fielder's choice, as Gibran Hamden was safe at first. Hamden advanced to third when Josh Romero singled to left center and scored on Jay Brandt double to right center. Romero and Brandt scored on the following pitch as Kennard Jones singled to center, making the score 3-0 Hoosiers.
IU wasn't done, scoring two more in the top of the fifth. Eric Blakely singled to start the inning and came around to score on designated hitter Nick Evans single. Evans advanced to second on the throw to the plate and scored on Mark Calkins double to right center, putting Indiana up 5-0 after four and half innings.
The Hoosiers tallied three more in the eighth before NU could mount any sort of comeback. Down 8-0, the Wildcats didn't get a runner past second base until the bottom of the eighth off Hoosier starter Jacob Cary. Cary threw a complete-game five-hitter for his sixth win of the season. He surrendered both NU runs in the bottom of the ninth.
In the ninth, pinch-hitter Matt Thompson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) got things started when he was hit with the first pitch he saw. Left fielder Dan Pohlman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) each earned one-out walks following Thompson, loading the bases. Shortstop Josh Lieberman (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) reached first on a fielder's choice as Thompson scored NU's first run of the game. Second baseman Eric Roeder (Onsted, Mich./Onsted), who was the only Wildcat with more than one hit, singled down the left field line, driving in NU's second and last run of the game.
The two teams are back at it tomorrow, playing a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Rocky Miller Park.