April 3, 2007
Box Score
DeKALB, Ill. -
In the first of two games baseball games between the Illinois State Redbirds and Northern Illinois Huskies this season, NIU (15-9, 5-1 MAC) got the best of ISU (12-14, 3-3 MVC) and defeated the `Birds, 8-6, on Tuesday at Ralph McKinzie Field. The two teams will face each other once again on April 10 in Normal, Ill., at Redbird Field.
Sophomore starter Dan Sorce (1-4) suffered the loss for ISU, after allowing six runs on ten hits in four innings of work on the mound. Northern Illinois starter Mark Badgley (2-2) earned the win for the Huskies, as he allowed four runs on six hits in six innings on the mound while striking out a career-high nine batters.
After a strong weekend against Missouri State at the plate, Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee was disappointed with the way his team swung the bats in the first few innings.
"We struck out 10 times today and we haven't done that all year long," said Brownlee. "Early in the game, we gave too many at-bats away and then had to climb out of a whole later in the inning with some runs. Coming off a weekend where we beat some of the best pitching in the Missouri Valley Conference, I thought we would swing the bats better than we did. We also needed a big day out of the guy in the middle of the diamond, but Dan struggled and we had to try to battle out of a hole.
ISU was able to jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Collin Salzenstein led off the game with a single up the middle and Matt Bolt followed and was hit by a pitch to give ISU two runners on base with no outs. The Redbird base runners then stole third and second base, respectively, and Ryan Anetsberger laced a double into right-centerfield to bring in both runs and give ISU a two-run advantage.
The Huskies tied the game at 2-2 with two runs in the bottom of the second inning off Sorce. After a scoreless top half of the third inning for the Redbirds, NIU took the lead with three runs on three hits and an error to make the score 5-2. A solo home run by Pat Minogue in the bottom of the fourth inning widened the NIU lead to 6-2.
ISU answered with a run in the top of the fifth inning, though, as Bolt scored from second base on a bloop single into centerfield by Anetsberger to cut the NIU lead in half at 6-3. The `Birds then tacked on their fourth run of the game in the top half of the sixth inning, as Jesse Griswold scored on a RBI single by Kyle O'Brien to cut the lead to two runs as 6-4.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Danny Reed and Jordin Hood launched back-to-back solo home runs off ISU reliever Jim Sajewich to extend the NIU advantage once again to four runs at 8-4. However, the Redbirds came right back with two runs of their own in the top of the eighth inning courtesy of a two-out, two-run home run by O'Brien over the centerfield wall to bring the score to 8-6.
That score would hold up for the rest of the game, as NIU closer Matt German shut down the Redbirds in the top of the ninth inning to earn his third save of the season and secure the win for the Huskies. Anetsberger and O'Brien each finished with two hits and three RBI apiece while former Husky Kyle Cherney chipped in with two hits against his old team.
The Redbirds return to action on Friday, April 6, when they travel to Waterloo, Iowa, to take on the Northern Iowa Panthers in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference weekend series.
