March 19, 2011
Final Stats
Final Box in PDF Format 
Northern Illinois 7, Southern Illinois 5
Abe Martin Field | Carbondale, Ill.
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NIU
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5
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7
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10
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12
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W: Manville (1-1) L: Forsythe (2-3) S: Glancy (2)
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CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Northern Illinois baseball team secured its fifth consecutive win on Saturday, defeating the Southern Illinois Salukis 7-5. Early scoring and an effective day for the bullpen gave NIU their longest winning streak since 2007.
It's now clear the Huskies (5-10) have placed their slow start in their rearview mirror after systematically beating the Salukis (4-14). NIU took the lead early, got a solid start from redshirt junior Tony Manville, received four shutout innings from the bullpen, and sprayed 10 hits around Abe Martin Field - all dimensions you need for a five-game win streak to continue rolling.
"It was a good team win," said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. "Tony Manville was completely different than the list time out. He was throwing in the strike zone. Yeah, they had some hits, but I'd rather have that than walks. Being in the strike zone and giving the defense a chance to help is what we need. It's nice to see a positive result out of it to reinforce that approach."
The Huskies did the majority of their damage in their half of the second. Joe Etcheverry and Trey Lang set up the scoring with a hit-by-pitch and single, respectively. Redshirt junior Brian Riegler, who recorded a hit in each game of the southern Illinois road trip, knocked in Etcheverry for NIU's first run. Next, Marvin Sanchez knotted up the game at two with an RBI single of his own. Jamison Wells then reached via a Saluki error to load the bags for shortstop Alex Jones.
Jones smashed a two-out Cody Forsythe offering up the middle to drive in Sanchez and Riegler. On the relay, SIU shortstop Jake Welch committed his second error of the inning, allowing the ever-swift Wells to register a third Huskie run on the play.
"From a hitter's perspective, we were opportunistic," Mathey said. "The second inning started with a walk and we had a couple nice two-strike hits. We got a positive result out of it. We took advantage of an error or two, put up some big numbers. It was good to have a lead to pitch with."
The five-run frame spotted NIU starter Tony Manville a three-run advantage to work with after he gave up a pair of RBI singles in the first. The Mount Carmel, Ill. product settled in after that, striking out a personal-best eight Salukis over six innings of work.
The righty gave up five runs and scattered 11 hits en route to his first win in three 2011 starts. The victory is also his second in the college ranks, with his first coming as an Iowa Hawkeye in 2008.
Manville entrusted the ball to his bullpen in the seventh inning. The ensuing four relievers combined to shut down any threat of a Saluki rally, holding them to a lone hit. Junior Kyle Glancy struck out two during a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down his second save in as many days.
"The bullpen was really solid today, up to the task," said Mathey. "Zach Badgley got a big double play ball in the seventh inning. Tom Zelasko was up to the task in the eighth, bouncing back after a kind of rough outing. Kyle Glancy shut the door. We were really happy with our pitching."
Etcheverry finished his day 2-for-2 and scored a pair of the Huskies' seven runs. The hits extended his hit streak to four games. Jones now touts a six-game streak of his own after his second-inning base knock.
"The guys swung the bats okay today," said Mathey. "We kind of went silent in the middle innings, but it was good to get that run in the ninth. That was a momentum shifter. We are happy with the win. SIU is a good program."
Etcheverry, Jones, and the Huskies look to extend their streaks in their road trip finale Sunday in Carbondale. NIU will take on a Saint Louis team, who they already beat 7-3 at their place this week, at 11 a.m. CT. The Huskies will then return home to Northern Illinois in preparation for next Friday's home opener versus Bowling Green.
-NIU-
