March 24, 2006
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
The start of Missouri Valley Conference play for the Illinois State Redbirds gave the team an opportunity to turn the corner in 2006 after a disappointing non-conference schedule. On Friday, the `Birds took control of the wheel took the correct turn with an 8-4 win against the Northern Iowa Panthers in the first of a three-game set at Redbird Field. ISU (5-13) starts MVC play with a 1-0 record, while UNI (11-10) suffers its first conference loss and drop to 0-1.
Kitt Kopach (1-3) earned his first victory of the 2006 season and dropped his team-low ERA to 2.30 after allowing just one earned run in six innings on the mound. In addition, Mike Hlavacek pitched two hitless innings in relief to record his second save of the season and secure the win for ISU. Zach Jevne (2-3) suffered the loss for UNI after giving up five runs, only one of which was earned, in five innings on the mound and walked a season-high seven batters.
The Redbirds got out to a quick start, scoring a run on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. A two-out single by Ryan Anetsberger kept ISU alive after Matt Bolt was caught stealing after he led off the inning with walk. After Anetsberger advanced to second base on a passed ball by UNI catcher Nate Trumm, Kyle O'Brien laced a double into the left-center field gap that scored Anetsberger to give the `Birds an early 1-0 lead. ISU would then tack on its second run in the bottom of the second inning after Jevne loaded the bases on three walks. With two outs, Trumm attempted catch Matt Bolt leading off of first base, but threw the ball over UNI first baseman Brett Featherston's head into right field allowing Jay Molina to score from third base to extend the lead to 2-0.
However, after recording two quick outs in the top of the fourth inning, Kopach got into trouble when he walked the bases loaded with consecutive walks to Featherston, Curt Bradley and Brett Douglas. Clayton Daniels was then hit by a pitch and took first base as Featherston scored to cut the lead to 2-1 for UNI.
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Redbirds widened the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on a costly error by Jevne. O'Brien led off the inning with a single to center field and Jesse Griswold followed with a walk to give ISU two runners on base with no outs. Kevin Dubler was next up and attempted a sacrifice bunt, but Jevne overthrew Featherston at first and Dubler reached safely and advanced to third base on the error while O'Brien and Griswold came in to score and push the lead to 4-1. The `Birds would add another run when Dubler later scored on a ground out by Brian Davis to make the score 5-1 after six innings of play.
UNI fired back with two runs on one hit and an error in the top half of the seventh inning, cutting the lead to 5-3. A pinch-hit RBI single by Pat Moran in the top of the eighth that scored pinch runner Mark Frieske closed the gap even more at 5-4 going into the bottom of the eighth inning for the Panthers. But, a two-run double by senior Kris Jenkins in the bottom of the eighth inning and an RBI ground out by Bolt put the game away for ISU, and Hlavacek's perfect ninth inning closed the book with the Redbirds on top 8-4.
Anetsberger and O'Brien each had two hits in the game for ISU, while Dubler and Jenkins each knocked in two runners. Eric Hoffman was the only UNI hitter with two hits in the loss and Featherston added a hit and an RBI, while scoring two runs.
The teams return to Redbird Field at 2 p.m. Saturday for the second game of the conference-opening weekend series. Freshman Ian Berger (2-2) will take the mound for the Redbirds for his fifth start of the season.
