Feb. 16, 2007
Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas -
After not being able to open the season in 2006 at the UT-Arlington Invitational, the Illinois State baseball team made it to Texas this year and opened the 2007 campaign against the host UTA Mavericks on Friday. Unfortunately for the Redbirds, the result was not one that they had hoped for and ISU (0-1) dropped its season opener 7-3 to UTA (2-3).
Freshman Ryan Copeland (0-1) was saddled with the loss in his collegiate debut for ISU, as he threw five innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits while striking out two batters. UTA starter Dillon Gee (1-1) earned the win, as he threw eight innings and gave up just two runs, both unearned.
Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee thought his young left-hander battled on the mound.
"I thought he pitched pretty well for his first time on the dirt," said Brownlee. "He didn't give up any walks and I thought that the third run we gave up was a huge run and if we only give them two, it could have been different."
The Redbirds got some help in the top of the first inning and took an early 1-0 lead. Collin Salzenstein led of the game with a single through the right side and then advanced to second on a ground out by Kyle Cherney. After Kevin Dubler flew out to left field, Matt Bolt popped a ball up to UT-Arlington second baseman Daniel Rieder who then dropped the ball allowing Salzenstein to score from second on the error.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the third inning when UTA scored three runs on four hits to take the lead 3-1. Back-to-back RBI singles by David Newby and Dan Rieder plated the first two runs of the inning off Copeland and Newby later scored on a well-executed double steal to score the third run of the inning for the Mavericks.
ISU manufactured a run in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead to one at 3-2. Dan Weston led off the inning with a walk and then stole second base. With one out, Cherney reached on an error and Weston advanced to third base. Dubler followed with a RBI ground out to first base, scoring Weston from third for the second run of the game.
The Mavericks answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth to once again widen the lead to two runs at 4-2. UTA also added a run in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI single by Kyle Rudy off ISU reliever Dan Sorce to extend the lead to three runs at 5-2. The Mavericks would tack on two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off Redbird right-hander Mike Hlavacek to make the score 7-2 headed into the ninth inning.
Kyle O'Brien doubled down the right field line to start the inning for the Redbirds and eventually scored when Kyle Cherney reached on an error on a dropped pop up by UTA shortstop Kyle Rudy to cut the lead to 7-3. That would be as close as the `Birds would come however, and the Maverick secured the victory.
Brownlee knows that his team's first performance will not be typical of the rest of the weekend.
"Obviously, we're never happy with a loss but every mistake we made today is correctable," said Brownlee. "UTA probably scored four runs that they shouldn't have because we didn't execute and let them steal five bases. But, the communication breakdowns will be corrected and their pitcher made some excellent pitches when he had to today."
ISU returns to action tomorrow against New Mexico in the second game of the UT-Arlington Invitational. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Clay Gould Ballpark, with junior Eric Theisen taking the mound for the Redbirds.
