April 7, 2007
Box Score
WATERLOO, Iowa -
Saturday began with the conclusion of the first game of a three-game Missouri Valley Conference baseball series between the Illinois State Redbirds and Northern Iowa Panthers, but ended with the Panthers (12-15, 2-6 MVC) winning the second game of an unorthodox doubleheader by a score of 10-5 over the Redbirds (13-15, 4-4 MVC) at Waterloo Riverfront Stadium.
Senior Luke Baughman (0-3) suffered the loss as the starter for the Redbirds, after allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings of work on the mound. UNI starter Guido Fonseca (3-3) earned the win, as he allowed just four runs, three of which were earned, in five innings on the mound. Taylor Sinclair picked up his first save of the season for the Panthers, after he threw four innings in relief and allowed just one run while striking out seven ISU hitters.
ISU skipper Jim Brownlee wished his team could have brought some of the momentum from Saturday's first game with them into the second game, but the results were not the same for ISU.
"The guy in the middle of the diamond needed to get the job done in the second game, but we struggled on the mound and allowed 15 hit on a cold day," said Brownlee. "Also, you can't give up the big inning and the six runs in the fourth inning was the ballgame. The difference between winning the first game and losing the second was the bullpen, and we really needed a strong effort from them."
Kevin Dubler got the offense started for ISU with his third home run of the season, a three-run shot over the right field wall, to put the Redbirds up 3-0 in the top of the first inning. The Panthers answered right back with a run in the bottom half of the first inning, though, on a Brandon Douglas RBI single to cut the ISU lead to 3-1 after one inning of play.
After a scoreless second inning, the Panthers knotted the game at 3-3 with two runs off Baughman in the bottom of the third inning. UNI would then score six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, highlighted by a Brett Featherston grand slam home run, to take a 9-3 lead.
The Redbirds got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth inning when Mike Tokarski scored as Dubler walked with the bases loaded to cut the UNI lead to 9-4. But, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Eric Hoffman scored on balk by Dan Sorce to widen the UNI lead to six runs at 10-4 at the end of six innings. ISU answered the Panthers' run with one of their own in the top of the seventh inning to cut the UNI lead in half. With runners on first and third and one out, Matt Bolt scored on a Dubler RBI ground out and pulled ISU within five runs at 10-5.
"Tomorrow's game is very important because it would allow us to win a Valley road series, which are very hard to come by, and improve our spot in the standings," said Brownlee. "It will all start with the pitching and then our hitters need to get back to where they were in the first game today at the plate. We know it's going to be a tough game, but I think our players will be ready."
Senior Mike Hlavacek (1-0, 4.81 ERA) will start against UNI's Aaron Jenkins (1-2, 3.02 ERA) in the finale of the weekend series, which is set to start at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
