April 15, 2008

Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. - Seven school records were either tied or broken in the Northern Colorado 29-10 win over Metro State at Jackson Field Tuesday afternoon. With the victory, the Bears baseball team improves to 12-22 on the year and remains perfect on this home stand at 4-0. The Roadrunners fall to 33-8 with the loss.

Junior Kevin Sandberg tallied a school record 10 RBI in the contest on a school record eight at bats. He also tied the record for hits in a game with six. He ties Joe Bonacquista (1964) and Zach Brockman (2003) for hits in a contest, while several different people had tallied seven at bats with the most recent being Shane Roberts (2004). Sandberg's 10 RBI in the game breaks the old record of eight from Scott Vatter (1993) and Joe Bacarella (1990). He needed only a triple for the cycle as Sandberg notched a single, two doubles and two home runs in the game.

The team had 55 at bats to tie the record from 1997 against Colorado State-Pueblo and 2003 against Metro State, tied the record of eight doubles from a game against Morningside in 1999 and set the new nine inning record for runners left on base with 15. The two teams combined for 38 RBI, which ties the record from when the two teams squared off in 2003.

Cody Henry, getting his first start on the hill for the Bears, pitched five innings to get the win. He allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Senior T.R. Keating pitched two solid innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four, while Matt Buck threw 0.2 innings and Eric Skufca finished the day with 1.1 innings pitched. Buck allowed five runs on three hits, walking four and fanning one, while Skufca allowed just one hit and struck out one in five batters faced.

Eight different Bears recorded multiple hits on the day. Besides Sandberg with six, senior Chad Murray went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs scored and two RBI including a home run. Outfielders Sean Zyer and Mike Raudenbush each tallied three hits, with Zyer going 3-for-3 and Raudenbush 3-for-4, while second baseman T.J. Berge went 3-for-4 with three RBI and four runs scored. He also walked twice. Andy Mees, Anthony Garcia and Cory Morales each had two knocks in the game and both Mees and Garcia left the yard with one.

In the second inning, Murray and Sandberg hit back-to-back home runs helping NC to the early 6-0 lead. It was the first time all year two Bears hit consecutive long balls and the second time this year there were two home runs in the same inning.

Metro State tallied its 10 runs on 12 hits and committed two errors in the game. The Roadrunners were held scoreless until the fourth inning when they scored one run. They added four in the fifth and five in the eighth.

The Bears scored at least one run in every inning but the sixth, getting one in the first, five in the second, seven in the third, three in the fourth, five in the fifth, three in the seventh and five in the eighth for the 29 runs on 30 hits and one error.

Ryan Eccles receives the loss for Metro State and he falls to 0-2 on the season. The Roadrunners used six pitchers in the contest. Michael Molinar was the bright spot, as he threw 1.1 innings and allowed no hits, striking out three of the four batters faced.

Northern Colorado turns its attention to Utah Valley and Air Force. The Bears host a double round-robin tournament beginning on Friday. The Wolverines and Falcons play the opening game at 10:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday with the Bears facing the two teams in the afternoon tilts at 2:00 p.m. and then will play in both games on Sunday, with game times again scheduled for 10:00 and 2:00.