Northwestern
Illinois
Baseball Defeats Illini 12-5
4/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 1, 2001
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Northwestern baseball team won Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against Illinois, 12-5. NU used a 16-hit attack to overcome the Fighting Illini at Illinois Field in Champaign.
The offense was led by Travis Tharp (Boulder, Colo./Boulder), Eric Roeder (Onsted, Mich./Onsted) and Joe Hietpas (Appleton, Wis./North) and exploded for 16 hits off five Illini pitchers. The Wildcats scored seven runs in the second inning, two in the third and single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Tharp led the Wildcat offense, belting two solo home runs in the rout. He led off the seven-run second inning and followed with a solo shot in the fourth. Roeder went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a sacrifice hit. Freshman Jason Krynski (Niles, Ill./Niles West), getting just the fourth start in his young collegiate career, smacked a three-run homer over the rightfield wall and had a 2-for-5 day at the plate.
Hietpas also broke out today, hitting line drives all over the field and going a perfect 4-for-4 in the game, driving in one run and scoring four times. Two of Hietpas' four hits were doubles, giving him five for the season and adding to his own all-time school record with 52. Freshman David Gresky (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) and centerfielder Steve Haake (Belleville, Ill./Gibault) each had two hits with Gresky driving in a run and stealing a base.
Senior Wesley Robinson (Bradenton, Fla./St. Stephen's) and designated hitter Todd Morgan (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) each had a hit with Morgan having one RBI.
Junior lefthander Ryan Bos (Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich) threw 5.1 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and striking out three. Bos evened his record to 2-2 with the win. Sophomore Christopher Spiering (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) came on in relief for his team-leading 11th appearance of the 2001 season. Spiering came in with the bases loaded and got Illinois' TF Meagher to hit into a rally-killing double play. He threw a perfect seventh to seal NU's first conference win of 2001.
NU improves to 11-16 overall, 1-3 in Big Ten play.
