March 28, 2003
Ohio State Box Score in PDF Format
BRADENTON, Fla. -- In the second game of Northwestern and Ohio State's Friday doubleheader in Bradenton, Fla., the Wildcats exploded for 11 hits and defeated Ohio State 7-1, to earn the twinbill split. The win improves NU to 8-9 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten. Ohio State falls to 11-7, 2-1.
The Buckeyes drew first blood as Wildcats starter Mark Ori (Niles, Ill./Maine South) hit Buckeye leadoff man Mike Rabin to start the game. Rabin advanced to third on Steve Caravati's single to center and scored on Christian Snavely's sacrifice fly to deep left field.
NU answered in the bottom of the fourth as Brandon Ackley's (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) sacrifice fly to deep left field scored Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) from third, giving NU a 2-1 lead. Ori, who was assigned pitching and hitting duties in the contest, plated NU's first run when he singled home Dan Pohlman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) from third. Pohlman reached on a walk.
The Wildcats broke things open in the fifth as they combined for four runs on six hits, highlighted by a two-run Pohlman triple and a Mikrut solo home run.
In the inning, second baseman Eric Roeder (Onsted, Mich./Onsted) led off with an infield single to deep shortstop and advanced to second on David Gresky's (North Royalton Ohio/St. Ignatius) single to right. Catcher Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) botched a sacrifice bunt as OSU threw out Roeder at third. With one out and Wildcat runners on first and second, the Buckeyes made a pitching change. Pohlman greeted the new Buckeye pitcher with a triple to the left center field wall, scoring two runs. After Pohlman scored on a wild pitch, Mikrut blistered the third pitch he saw over the left field wall, making the score 6-1 Northwestern.
After a scoreless sixth for the Buckeyes, Roeder led off the bottom half of the inning with his first home run of the season, hitting a 1-2 curveball over the left-field fence.
In the seventh, OSU shortstop Jedidiah Stephen singled but was cut down on a double play ball to third. Ori recorded his fourth strikeout to end the game.
NU ends its 10-day spring trip with a single nine-inning Big Ten contest against Ohio State tomorrow at IMG Academy. Game time is set for 1 p.m.