May 8, 2009

Final Stats

Final Box

DeKALB, Ill. - After Northern Illinois opened the game with a 2-0 lead on a homerun by Dave Reynolds (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) in the bottom of the first inning, Ball State responded with a five-run second frame and added four more in the sixth to take the first of a three game set 10-6 on Friday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field in a Mid-American Conference competition.

With two outs in the first, Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) reached on a fielding error by BSU third baseman Kolbrin Vitek. Reynolds then stepped up to the plate and hit a towering fly ball over the right-centerfield fence to give NIU (17-30, 8-13 MAC) a 2-0 in the bottom of the first.

However, with runners on first and second with one out in the top of the second, NIU committed a costly error of its own as Cody Elliot hit a grounder that went underneath second baseman Joe Buonavolanto's (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale South) glove, allowing T.J. Baumet to score from second. Jeremy Hazelbaker walked on the next play to load the bases, and then Nate Fields cleared the bags with a double to left-center. An out later, Zach Dygert drove in a pair with another double to left-center to give the Cardinals (22-21, 10-10 MAC) a 5-2 lead.

"We helped prolong that inning," said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. "We have to get outs when we can. Ball State is a good offensive club. They swing the bats well and have some guys who can put pressure on you on the base paths. They had a gameplan against Chuck Lukanen and they executed it well. That's really what it came down to today. They executed better than us. We have to execute better on both sides of the ball."

After NIU starter Chuck Lukanen (Lombard, Ill./North Iowa Area C.C.) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, he could not do it again in the sixth as he loaded the bags again after Fields hit a one-out solo homerun to left field. Lukanen then walked Baumet to score a run, and Aaron Etchison notched a two-run single up the middle before Elliot drove in the last run of the frame on a fielder's choice ground out to second to give the Cardinals a 9-2 advantage.

The Huskies countered with four runs in the bottom half, but that would be the last time NIU would generate a run in the game. Matt Behren (Elmwood Park, Ill./Holy Cross), Troy White (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), and Joe Etcheverry (Bakersfield, Calif./Centennial) all singled to start the rally. Pat Minogue (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) followed suit with another single to drive in Behren. Then Alex Jones (Kansas City, Kan,/Piper) singled again for NIU, driving in two runs. After Buonavolanto walked to load the bases, Hood drove in the fourth run on an RBI ground out to third. Reynolds had a chance to keep the inning going, but flew out to center to end it.

Brad Piatt (5-2) earned the win for the Cardinals as he threw 5.1 innings with five strikeouts, giving up four earned runs on eight hits and a walk. The BSU bullpen finished the final 3.2 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with Tom Mueller carrying a bulk of the load with 2.1 innings pitched and three strikeouts.

"Their starting pitcher Piatt did a good job of keeping us off balance," Mathey said. "We had some opportunities, but didn't get it done. It's hard to offset five and four run innings."

Lukanen (6-6) took his first loss in his last four starts after surrendering seven earned runs on 12 hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Nick Badgley (McHenry, Ill./McHenry C.C.) gave NIU an opportunity to comeback after he came in for Lukanen to end the sixth inning Ball State rally and fanned three batters in two innings of work, giving up a hit and four walks.

"Chuck threw a lot of pitches today and he had to work hard," said Mathey. "That taxes on a pitcher. He battled for us today. He did the best he could and we didn't support him well by not making a few plays. Ball State put guys on base though and that wears on a pitcher. I thought our bullpen did a nice job. Nick Badgley came in and gave us a chance. We answered their four-run sixth, but couldn't answer the five-run inning."

Fields led the Cardinal offense with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, two runs, a double, his first homer of the season, and four RBI. Dygert and Etchison each had two hits, a run, and two RBI.

Jones paced the Huskies with two hits and two RBI, while Reynolds' lone hit was his team-leading and career-high eighth homer of the season, giving him two more RBI to up his total to 33 over his last 18 games. Additionally, Behren and White each totaled two hits and a run.

The teams play again tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. CT and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Saturday's pitching matchup will feature NIU RHP Chris Wakefield (1-4, 8.15, 35.1 IP, 42 H, 21 BB, 16 SO) and BSU RHP Brenden Stines (2-4, 5.88, 49 IP, 71 H, 24 BB, 27 SO), while Sunday's hurlers will be NIU LHP Brandon Copp (0-3, 12.86, 17 IP, 30 H, 12 BB, 13 SO) and BSU RHP Kolbrin Vitek (3-2, 6.02, 46.1 IP, 51 H, 8 BB, 46 SO). Sunday's game can be heard via free streaming radio on Huskie All-Access through www.niuhuskies.com, and both games will have live stats on GameTracker.

Huskie Notes

- NIU has scored a run in the first inning in 14 of its last 19 games and 25 times overall.

- By getting the last two outs in the eighth, Zach Oates (Wheaton, Ill./North) has five straight appearances without allowing an earned run, giving up just three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in six innings.