March 29, 2008

Box Score

Box Score in PDF Format

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - For the second consecutive day, Northern Illinois dropped a one-run game to Bowling Green, this time a 4-3 result Saturday afternoon at Warren E. Steller Field. A seventh inning single by T.J. Blanton proved the difference for the Falcons (9-7, 2-0) as the Huskies fell to 9-13 overall and 3-2 in the MAC.

"Today's game was similar to yesterday in that it came down to a matter of execution and we are just not doing that well enough right now," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Mistakes on the defensive side are haunting us and we are not generating enough offensively. I thought Adam [Holdenrid] threw well enough to win, but they threw better and got the win. We gave up too many free bases today and that ended up hurting us."

Bowling Green jumped out to a 2-0 lead in its first at-bat, scoring on a RBI single by Derek Spencer and a RBI groundout by Marty Baird. The score remained the same until Northern Illinois scored three times in the top of the sixth.

With runners at the corners, Dave Reynolds' (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) delivered a RBI single that scored Jeff Thomas (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem). The next batter, Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) reached on a throwing error that allowed Danny Reed (Lindstrom, Minn./North Iowa Area CC) and Reynolds to score, giving the Huskies a 3-2 lead.

The Falcons answered by tying the game at three in the bottom of the sixth when Frank Berry scored on a close play at the plate after a double by Brian Hangbers and reclaimed the lead one inning later on Blanton's game-winning hit.

Adam Holdenrid (Mendota, Ill./Mendota) absorbed the loss (3-2) despite working 6.0 innings and allowing just two earned runs and one walk while striking out four. Andy Deain (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) pitched the final two innings without allowing a base hit for NIU.

Charles Wooten (1-0) earned the win for BG with 3.1 innings of hitless relief.

Reed and Reynolds each had two hits on the afternoon for the Huskies and Thomas and Justin Behm both stole a base in the contest.

The Huskies and Falcons wrap up their series Sunday with a noon CDT contest.

HUSKIE TRACKS
-Justin Behm recorded his second stolen base in the last five games after entering the stretch without a steal in his 92 career games.
-Jeff Thomas' 29th career stolen base moved him into a tie for ninth on the NIU all-time list.
-Northern Illinois dropped two games against a MAC East foe for the first time since its 2006 series at Miami (Ohio).

-NIU-