March 6, 2010
Box Score
Final Box 
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - For the second straight game, the Northern Illinois baseball team raced out to an early lead behind a strong pitching performance as junior Zach Oates (Wheaton, Ill./North) went seven strong innings and the Huskies (3-6) defeated Cal State Bakersfield 5-3 to sweep the weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Hardt Field.
NIU used three singles to push across two runs in the first inning, senior outfielder Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) hit his second home run of the series and team-high third this season in the third inning, and sophomore catcher Brett Frantini (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) followed up with his first career home run in the fourth inning.
“Anytime you can stack some runs early and build a comfortable lead, it makes the pitcher’s job a lot easier,” said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. “We strung together some singles early and that’s always nice to do. Those two runs in the first inning really got us going. Jordin (Hood) followed his hit by pitch with a ball over the left field fence and Frantini’s home run was huge.”
“Zach Oates did a nice job out there today. He allowed some hits, but battled and pitched very well. He only walked one batter and did a really nice job of limiting damage. They loaded the bases on him in the fifth, but he only allowed one run and that was big for us.”
“The run we scored in the seventh ended up being very important. If we don’t score that extra insurance run, their runner on third in the ninth inning is the tying run. That made a huge difference in how that inning played out.”
Oates (1-1), making his third-career start, allowed two runs on nine hits over seven solid innings. The 6-foot-7 right-hander walked one and struck out a career-high six batters.
Hood started it off for NIU with two outs in the first inning after reaching on a hit by pitch. Dave Reynolds (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), Troy White (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), and Joe Etcheverry (Bakersfield, Calif./Centennial) all followed with singles and the Huskies took an early 2-0 lead.
Hood blasted his 26th career home run over the left field wall in the third inning to make it 3-0, and Frantini homered to left center in the fourth inning to extend the Huskie lead to 4-0.
CSUB (5-5) loaded the bases with zero outs in the fifth inning, but Oates pitched out of the jam by allowing just one run. After an RBI fielder’s choice, Oates induced a foul out and Frantini caught Ryan McIntyre attempting to steal second base to end the threat with the score 4-1.
NIU added an insurance run in the seventh inning when Reynolds drove home Cory Krupp (Cary, Ill./Santa Barbara City College) on a sacrifice fly to extend the NIU lead to 5-1. Leading off, Krupp reached on an error by the shortstop and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and passed ball.
CSUB plated another run in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff triple and RBI groundout, but Oates retired the next three batters to end his outing. Tom Zelasko (Lansing, Ill./Mount Carmel) relieved Oates in the eighth and pitched out of a minor threat by inducing an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play. Zelasko has not allowed an earned run in five appearances this season, and pitched in all three games in the series.
Andy Deain (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) pitched the ninth inning and closed out a win for the second time in the series. Deain allowed one run on one hit and a walk in his third appearance this season.
NIU is off the next two days before starting a two-game set with Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif. on Tuesday, March 9. Both games start at 8 p.m. CT.
- NIU -
