March 7, 2008

Box Score

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SAN MARCOS, Texas - Northern Illinois got solid pitching from starter Trevor Feeney but could not muster enough offense for a victory in a 3-1 loss at Texas State Friday night. The Huskies fell to 2-4 on the season after a prolonged journey to get to the Lone Star state.

"Trevor pitched great but we did not make the plays defensively to support him," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Offensively, we didn't get the hits when we needed them. We had some opportunities early on where we got runners on base and were unable to take advantage of those situations. We are pitching well but we need to get to more timely hits on offense."

Texas State went up 1-0 in the first on a Jonathan Farrow RBI single. Later in the game, Jerry Cervantes' two-run double proved to be the difference. In the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats had two on and two out when Cervantes hit one into left-center field to put the home team ahead 3-0.

Northern Illinois left 11 men on base and twice had a pair of runners on base without converting the situations into runs. In the seventh, the Huskies got on the scoreboard when a RBI groundout by Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) scored Marvin Sanchez (Chicago, Ill./Clemente Academy) to trim the deficit to 3-1.

Feeney (Channahon, Ill./Joliet Catholic), 0-1, turned in a valiant performance with 7.0 innings and allowing six hits and two earned runs to go along with four walks and four strikeouts while facing just six hitters over the minimum in a tough-luck loss.

Jeff Thomas (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) led the Huskies offensively with a three-for-five performance for his highest hit total of the season. NIU stole four bases on the night, including a pair by Thomas.

Mike Hart (1-1) notched the victory for the Bobcats (5-4) after totaling 7.0 innings with six hits, one earned run, six walks and 11 strikeouts on the night. Josh Walter recorded his second save of the season to close out the game.

The Huskies return to action Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest against Texas Tech at Bobcat Field on the Texas State campus in San Marcos.

HUSKIE TRACKS
-Jeff Thomas equaled his career-high with two stolen bases, a mark set May 11, 2007 at Ball State.
-Thomas and Dave Reynolds each extended their hitting streaks to six games each.
-Trevor Feeney has gone seven or more innings in each of his last three starts, dating back to last season's MAC Tournament.
-The Huskies stole four bases in each of the past two games, accounting for all but one of their season steals.

-NIU-