April 26, 2003

Box Score

Evanston, Ill. - The University of Illinois baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Northwestern University this afternoon by scores of 7-3 and 4-1 at Rocky Miller Park on the campus of Northwestern University. The losses drop Illinois to 20-18 overall and 8-11 in the Big Ten while Northwestern improves to 17-16 overall and 9-8 in Conference play.

In the first game, Illinois grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when third baseman Chad Frk hammered his first home run of the season over the right field wall off NU starter J. Happ.

NU took that run back and more in the bottom of the third off Illini starter Josh Lane. Two walks and five hits, including a two-run double from David Gresky, plated four runs for the Wildcats before a bases-loaded fielding error by right fielder Vince DiMaria cleared the bases and opened a 7-1 lead.

Illinois added single runs in the fifth and sixth. The fifth inning run came when Frk drew a bases-loaded walk to score T.F. Meagher, who had led off the inning with a single to right. In the sixth, Joe Parenti led off with a single and eventually advanced to third before scoring on an error by the NU catcher, who threw the ball into center attempting to erase Brandon Cashman from the baselines.

Josh Lane (4-1) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs (four earned) in six innings of work. Happ (6-3) earned the win, allowing only two runs on six hits in the complete game win.

Wildcat starter Dan Brauer took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the second game as Northwestern rolled to a 4-1 win in the nightcap.

NU scored the first run of a game for the first time in the series in Saturday's game two. NU plated two in the bottom of the second off Illini starter Joe Ziemba before the Illini used a lead off walk to Sean Patrick, a sacrifice bunt, wild pitch and sac fly from shortstop Eric Eymann to move him around the bases and close the gap to 2-1.

But NU got it back in the third inning. A one-out single, error by Andy Schutzenhofer and and run-scoring single off the bat of Travis Tharp gave Northwestern back its 3-1 lead. Tharp followed that up with a solo home run in the sixth to open a 4-1 lead.

Brauer (4-1) earned the win after throwing seven complete innings and allowing one run on one hit. Ziemba (5-1) suffered the first loss of his collegiate career after allowing four runs on five hits.

Illinois and Northwestern conclude their Big Ten series with a single game Sunday scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.