April 23, 2008
Final Stats
DEKALB, Ill. -
Trailing three runs after eight innings of play, sophomore Anthony Ruffolo and the Illinois State baseball team (18-19) rallied to score seven runs in the top of the ninth and posted a wild, 14-10 win over in-state rival Northern Illinois Wednesday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field. Ruffolo delivered the eventual game-winning single after junior Kevin Dubler hammered a two-run home run to bring the deficit to one and junior Quinn Ewert tied the game with a single to left field.
Ruffolo, who finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI, was one of four Redbirds to record two-plus hits in the game. Freshman Kevin Tokarski batted 3-for-4 with a career-high four RBI, while Dubler went 3-for-6 with three RBI and senior Kevin Konsler was 2-for-4 with an RBI. The Redbirds were out-hit, 16-15, but surrendered only two runs in the final four innings of play.
Sophomore Jacob Wielebnicki (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, as he threw two innings and gave up only two runs (no earned) on three hits while striking out one. Senior Eric Theisen was sharp, as he closed the door in the ninth after retiring the Huskies in order on six pitches.
Tokarski started the seven-run rally in the top of the ninth, as he drew a walk off of NIU closer Andy Dean. Tokarski moved into scoring position when he stole his 29th base of the season, while Dubler followed with a moon-shot to right field to cut the deficit to one, 10-9. Junior Eric Mahler was hit by a pitch and senior Kyle Cherney walked to put two runners on base, as Ewert delivered the game-tying single to left field to set the stage for Ruffolo. The Wheaton, Ill., native offered at the first pitch he saw and drove it to centerfield to give the `Birds the lead, while Konsler and Tokarski hit singles to break the game wide open and give ISU the lead for good.
"I'm happy for our kids because it has been long overdue," said head coach Jim Brownlee. "We have lost some tough games so far this year, and it's always nice to get a midweek win. We had a lot of timely hits with two outs to keep it close. Our pitchers gave us a chance to win at the end and our hitters got the job done. That was what allowed us to come-from-behind and win. We got some big hits from Ewert, Ruffolo and Konsler, and that's what you need to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference.
"We had some big hits early and kind of gave it away. We could have folded up the tents, but showed a lot of courage after we fell behind 10-7. I'm just really happy for the way we competed and how we were able to pull it out in the ninth."
The Huskies were able to rally with two outs in the first, as Northern Illinois put runners on first and second on back-to-back singles. First baseman Joe Etcheverry then lined a single to right field to score one run; however, Konsler, the Redbirds' right fielder, alertly threw the ball to third base to catch a Huskie in a run-down to end the inning. Northern Illinois added another run with two outs in the bottom of the second, as shortstop Bobby Stevens delivered a single to right field to give NIU a 2-0 advantage.
Illinois State responded and put together a big inning in the top of the third, as Konsler led off the rally with a walk with one out. Junior Mike Stalowy moved him to second on a single to left field and both runners moved two more bases on an error by the Huskie left fielder, as Konsler scored and Stalowy landed on third. Tokarski followed with a single to score Stalowy, while Dubler lined a single to center field to put Tokarski at third.
ISU continued the threat when sophomore Gabe DeMarco came to bat. After he garnered a 1-1 count, DeMarco hurt his arm swinging and was replaced by Mahler, who lined the first pitch he saw into left field to score Dubler. The Redbirds batted around when Ewert stepped up and hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Mahler and give the `Birds a 5-2 lead.
But the Redbirds' lead was short lived, as the Huskies loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the third inning. Left fielder Nick Badgley, who made the error during the top half of the frame, was able to line a bases-clearing triple to tie the game at five. The Huskies re-gained the lead, 6-5, when Sorce balked in the go-ahead run.
Illinois State continued the back-and-forth affair, as Stalowy and Tokarski recorded back-to-back walks with two outs in the top of the fourth. Dubler delivered an RBI-single to right field to score Stalowy from second base, which tied the game at 6-6. Northern Illinois rallied once again to re-gain the lead (8-6) in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs on three hits and an error.
The Redbirds cut the deficit to one run in the top of the sixth, as Ruffolo singled and later scored on a single down the right field line from Tokarski with two out. But NIU was able to score two runs in the bottom half of the seventh to push their lead to three, 10-7.
The Redbirds will travel to Springfield, Mo., to take on Missouri State in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series, beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
