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Baseball
Creighton Ties Series with Rally
May 19, 2006
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Junior Nick Cameron's sixth-inning blast could not propel the University of Northern Iowa baseball team to victory Friday night. The Panthers took a 3-1 lead into the eighth, but fell 4-3 to Creighton. The bottom of the order made some noise in the second inning after the top four UNI batters went down quietly in the first. Brett Douglas (St. Charles, Iowa) scored on a Jason Smith (Sioux Falls, SD) RBI single after slicing a single into left to start the inning. Pat Moran (Rapid City, SD) crossed the plate after Creighton right fielder Chase Odenreider bobbled Smith's single to give UNI a 2-0 lead after two. The Bluejays cut the Panther lead in half with a run in the third, but Cameron's (Des Moines, Iowa) home run in the sixth reset the Panther advantage to two runs and put the score at 3-1 after six. Odenreider made amends for his second-inning miscue with a three-run shot in the eighth, erasing the two-run Panther lead and putting the Bluejays up 4-3 after eight. UNI threatened in the bottom of the ninth when Deric Manrique (Sioux Cith, Iowa) moved into scoring position following a leadoff single. The rally was not to be, however, as a hard hit Curt Bradley (Colombia, Mo.) line drive was snagged by the Creighton defense to end the game and deliver the Panthers a 4-3 loss. Starter Taylor Sinclair was solid through seven-plus innings of work. The sophomore retired the side in order in five of his seven innings and tied his season high with seven strikeouts in the no decision. Jesse Oster (Redding, Calif.) took the reigns from Sinclair with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh. Oster surrendered the lead and earned the loss, moving his record to 0-1 on the season.
Bluejay starter Marc Lewis improved to 7-0, striking out seven in seven innings, and Creighton reliever Scott Reese tabbed his seventh save of the season. Offensively, the Panthers out hit the Bluejays, 9-6, but were done in by clutch hitting in the eighth by Creighton bats. Eight of nine Panther bats tallied hits with Cameron's two hits pacing the club. His sixth-inning home run was his fourth of the year. UNI moves to 27-27 on the season, 9-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton moves to 30-18 on the season, 13-10 in conference. The Panthers wrap up their three game-set with Creighton and the 2006 season Saturday at 6:30 p.m. |
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