April 14, 2007

Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -

The University of Northern Iowa baseball team pounded out 12 hits on the way to a 4-2 win at Evansville Saturday night. Curt Bradley finished 4-of-5 from the plate with an RBI, and Deric Manrique hit 3-of-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored for the Panthers.

Nick Kirk (2-1) pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in relief for UNI (13-18, 3-8), giving up five hits, walking two and striking out four to collect the win. The Panthers gave Kai Tuomi (7-1) his first loss of the season, collecting 10 hits and all four runs against Tuomi.

Deric Manrique and Curt Bradley each hit singles to start the first inning. Brandon Douglas drew a full-count walk to load the bases with nobody out. The Panthers came away empty-handed, however, after Brett Featherston fouled out and Dane Embury grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Panthers were able to score in the top of the second when Jaime Ballesteros reached safely on an Evansville (24-13, 6-5) error to lead off the inning. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Travis Hendrix and scored on a two-out single down the right field line by Gabe Schultz.

In the top of the fourth, Ballesteros and Jeremy Weih each singled then advanced on a ground out by Schultz to give the Panthers runners on second and third with two outs. Deric Manrique delivered a two-out double off the center field wall to bring both runners home. In his third at-bat of the game, Bradley delivered his third single, poking a single through the left side, scoring Manrique and putting UNI in front 4-0.

Casey Wahl led off the bottom half of that inning with a single up the middle, and Guido Fonseca issued back-to-back walks to load the bases with nobody out. Fonseca struck out Tristan Facer to record the first out of the inning, but a wild pitch scored Wahl and moved the runners to second and third. Kirk Bascu grounded out to short, but scored Pat Tumilty in the process, cutting UNI's lead to 4-2.

Evansville threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with only one out. Nick Kirk struck out pinch hitter Jeff Zelenovich, and Jim Viscomi flied out to center to end the inning and get the Panthers out of the jam.

The Panthers were in trouble once again in the bottom of the seventh when Kern Watts led off with a double down the right field line and Wahl singled to give the Aces runners on the corners with nobody out. Ballesteros recorded the first out of the inning when he tracked down a foul fly ball. The Panther third baseman also recorded the second out of the inning and saved a run when he fielded a one-hopper by Robbie Minor and threw out Watts at the plate. Kirk fielded a slow grounder down the third base line and gunned down Facer to end the inning with the UNI two-run lead still intact.

In the bottom of the ninth, Wahl singled to lead off the inning. Kirk struck out the next two batters, and Embury tracked down a long fly ball by Facer at the right field wall to end the game. Wahl was the 13^th man left on base by the Aces.

The teams will play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.