Northwestern
Purdue
Baseball Drops 10-3 Decision to Purdue
4/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 8, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern University baseball team saw its conference woes continue Sunday, as the Wildcats dropped a 10-3 decision to Purdue in the final game of a four-game set at Rocky Miller Park. As a result, the Boilermakers swept the series.
Northwestern trotted out Zach Schara for the final game, but Purdue's bats were hot from the get-go. The Boilers scored a run in the second inning when Nate Sickler doubled down the leftfield line, and then Kris Luce knocked him in with a single. In the fourth, Purdue scored two more times with a pair of unearned runs. The Boilermakers then put the game away in the fifth, scoring five times on six hits.
Schara was finished after that, as Dan Konecny pitched the final four innings. He pitched well, scattering four hits and allowing two eighth-inning runs while striking out three.
Joe Hietpas finally got NU on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he greeted reliever Jim Davies with a towering homer to left field. It was Hietpas' second home run of the series and his third of the season. Two batters later, Steve Haake doubled down the rightfield line, then Eric Roeder drove him home with a single.
In the ninth inning, Northwestern scored a run but threatened for much more before finally going down to defeat. Matt Thompson drew a one-out walk, and then Dan Pohlman singled. Hietpas followed with a single of his own, scoring Thompson and sending Pohlman to third. Davies then hit pinch-hitter Chuck Sanna to load the bases. However, Jason Krynski struck out looking and Haake flied out to right field to end the rally and the game.
Sean O'Neil started for Purdue and was masterful, allowing just two hits in six innings of work. Overall, the Wildcats had seven hits (two by Hietpas) compared to 16 by the Boilermakers.
Northwestern is back at home on Tuesday afternoon, hosting Valparaiso at 3 p.m.
