May 3, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on its way to a 6-1 victory over Iowa in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Rocky Miller Park. With the win, the 'Cats improve to 21-16 overall, 12-8 in the Big Ten. It is Northwestern's seventh straight victory.
Wildcat starter J.A. Happ (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy) struck out a career-high 16 batters in the game, recording his fifth complete game of the season. Happ gave up five hits in the game, two in the first inning, lowering his ERA to 2.53 in 67.2 innings pitched. Happ walked only one Hawkeye in the seven-inning contest.
Iowa took an early 1-0 lead in the first as two hits and a Wildcat error allowed an unearned run to cross the plate.
Junior center fielder David Gresky (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) answered the Hawkeye run in the bottom half of the first inning, crushing his ninth home run of the season. Second baseman Eric Roeder (Onsted, Mich./Onsted) and third baseman Mark Ori (Niles, Ill./Maine South) set the table for Gresky, as a pitch hit Roeder and Ori walked.
The Wildcats added an insurance run in the fourth inning, as Brandon Ackley (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) scored NU's fourth run of the game. Ackley reached on a dropped third strike, stole second and scored on Ori's single through the right side.
A Ken Padgett (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) leadoff double and an Ackley single came around to score in the bottom of the sixth, to give NU a 6-1 lead. In the inning, Padgett and Ackley executed a first and third double steal with Padgett crossing the plate. Shortstop Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) had an RBI groundout to plate the final run of the game.