April 5, 2008

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

DALLAS, Texas - The Northern Colorado baseball team struggled with tired arms on the pitching staff as they dropped both games of a doubleheader at Dallas Baptist on Saturday afternoon. The Bears fell 7-3 in game one and 15-10 in game two and now have a season record of 8-22, while the Patriots are now 20-9.

In the first game, Dallas Baptist got all seven of its runs in the first frame behind two costly errors on the Bears defense.  The Bears held the Patriots scoreless through the next seven innings, managing to score two runs in the second and one in the ninth.

Senior right-handed pitcher Chris Reap threw the first five innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits, but just two runs were earned. He also struck out three and did not walk a batter. Sean Peery pitched the final three innings allowing just one hit, striking out three and walking one.

Junior Andy Mees, who hit in the leadoff spot, went 3-for-4 offensively, while senior Chad Murray, senior Erik Whinery, junior Erik Hegstad and junior Mike Raudenbush each notched one hit.

In the nightcap, both team's bats exploded as Dallas Baptist had 21 hits and the Bears 15, and the two teams combined for 12 hits for extra bases. Eight of the nine batters for each team recorded at least one hit in the contest.

Dallas Baptist got on the scoreboard first with one run in the first inning. The Bears took the lead with two in the second, but the Patriots immediately answered with two in the bottom half of the frame. Both teams scored four in the third to make the score 7-6 DBU and the Bears took the lead again with two runs in the fifth.  The Patriots regained the lead with a pair in the sixth and kept it with six more in the eighth. The Bears rally in the ninth fell short as they scored two runs.

The Bears used six pitchers in the game. Senior right-hander T.R. Keating started on the hill, lasting just 1.2 innings. He surrendered three runs on four hits, walking two and striking out one. Eric Skufca came in and finished the inning and faced three batters in the third. He gave up three runs on three hits. Junior Cody Henry threw the next 3.1, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking a pair and striking out two. Matt Buck and Sean Peery each threw one frame. Buck walked one in four batters faced, while Peery gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits with one walk and senior Dan Kazell closed out the contest throwing 0.2 giving up three runs on three hits (one earned) while walking one and fanning one.

Henry was the pitcher of the record for his first loss of the year (0-1).

Kevin Sandberg was the offensive star of the game, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. Hegstad went 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored. Mees, Adam Symons, Murray and Raudenbush each chipped in two hits and both Murray and Hegstad hit home runs for the Bears. Both were also hit by pitches in the contest.

The Bears now travel to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Jayhawks in a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday.