April 8, 2007

Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Northwestern's baseball team opened its first Big Ten road series of the season with a 5-3 win over Indiana at Sembower Field. After cold weather in the Bloomington area caused baseball officials to delay the start of the four-game series two days, Northwestern used a five-run sixth inning to notch its first conference win of the year. Junior Max Mann's go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning put NU ahead 5-3. Senior Ryan Myers did the rest, pitching his first complete game of the year, striking out a season high 11 in the process.

After setting down the first seven Hoosiers, five by strikeout, Wildcat starter Ryan Myers (Lake Villa, Ill./Carmel) hit IU's No. 8 hitter Sterling Mack with a pitch. With one out in the inning, Mack stole second and scored on an infield single that trickled into centerfield. The inning ended when Wildcat catcher Chad Noble (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) threw out the IU runner who singled trying to steal second.

IU pitcher Tyler Tufts cruised through the first five innings, giving up just two hits, both singles. He allowed just one Wildcat runner to reach second base.

Myers gave up just one hit through the first four innings, but a pair of no-out walks to start the fifth inning gave him some trouble. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, a double to the left centerfield gap scored both runners. Another walk put runners on first and second, still with one out. A nice play by Kenneth Avila (Corpus Christi, Texas/W.B. Ray) on a roller up the middle got the runner at first, but left runners on second and third with two outs. One batter later, left fielder Aaron Newman (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) made the play of the day when he laid out to catch a fly ball just inside the left-field foul line. His inning-ending catch saved at least two runs.

Tufts issued his first walk of the game in the top of the sixth inning. Newman coaxed the free pass and went to second on Owens' second hit of the game. It was an infield hit to third base he beat down the line. After a fly out to right field moved Newman to third, freshman first baseman Jake Goebbert (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) crushed a double to straightaway centerfield that scored both Newman and Owens. It was Goebbert's fourth double of the season. Senior Caleb Fields (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) tied the game 3-3 with a single to center that plated Goebbert from second base. Right fielder Max Mann (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood) put NU ahead for the fist time in the game with a two-run home run over the right field fence. It was Mann's second round-tripper of the season. A bunt groundball out ended the inning. NU scored all five of its runs with two outs.

NU would not score again as Tufts threw a complete game. He struck out three Wildcats and walked one. The Wildcats Owens was the only player to have multiple hits in the game. He was 2-for-4.

Myers shut down the Hoosier offense, allowing just three hits the final four innings. He threw 156 pitches to raise his season record to 2-2. He struck out a season high 11 and leads the team with 35 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched.

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