March 29, 2008

Box Score

WATERLOO, Iowa -

The University of Northern Iowa baseball team claimed both games in a double header against Evansville, 5-4 and 14-4, to earn the series sweep against the Aces Saturday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium. It is the first time UNI (13-9, 3-0) has swept a Missouri Valley Conference opponent since sweeping Bradley in May 2005.

Brandon Douglas was 5-of-5 from the plate in the second game, including three doubles and a triple. It was the first five-hit game for a Panther since Ryan Norman completed the task against Creighton on May 7, 2005. He finished the day 7-of-9 with five RBIs and five runs scored.

Guido Fonseca moved to 5-0 on the season with the win in the first game. He pitched 7.0 innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs while striking out eight.

In game one, Deric Manrique and Dane Embury hit back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first. Brandon Douglas gave the Panthers their third consecutive hit to score Manrique and put the Panthers in front, 1-0. The Aces used a double play and a fielder's choice to get out of the inning with just one run scored.

            The Aces answered in the top of the second, stringing together four hits, a walk and a hit batsman to score four in the inning and build a 4-1 lead.

            UNI got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. Manrique led off the inning with a single through the left side. He moved to second on a ground out, and he scored on a two-out single by Chris Lopez to bring the score to 4-2.

            Manrique hit a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth. He moved to third on a two-out single from Brandon Douglas, and scored on a single by Chris Lopez to cut the Panther deficit to 4-3. Brett Featherston drew a walk to load the bases for UNI. J.R. Carbonell threw two wild pitches to Kalvin Johnson, allowing Douglas and Lopez to score and give UNI a 5-4 lead.

            Joe Gonzalez allowed just one hit in the top of the ninth to earn the save and give UNI its first late-inning comeback of the season. Manrique was 3-of-4 with three runs scored in the game. Lopez was 2-of-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

            In game two, the Aces used two hits and a walk to go on the board in the top of the first, taking an early 1-0 lead.

            UNI responded in the bottom half of the inning, using a single by Manrique and doubles by Brandon Douglas and Brett Featherston to score three and build a 3-1 lead. UNI added another trio of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Douglas doubled to score Travis Hendrix and Dane Embury, who had each singled. Lopez singled to score Douglas and give the Panthers a 6-3 advantage.

            In the bottom of the fourth, Embury singled and Douglas had his third double in as many at-bats. Lopez reached on an error that scored both Embury and Douglas and put the Panthers in front 8-1.

            Lopez hit a two-RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to give the Panthers a 10-1 lead.

            The Aces used three hits and a Panthers error in the top of the sixth to score three runs and bring the score to 10-4.

            UNI got those runs back in the bottom of the seventh. Embury drew a one-out walk and scored on a triple by Douglas. Featherston hit a two-out single to score Douglas, and he scored on a wild pitch to extend UNI's lead to 13-4.

            Dane Embury hit a solo home run with two out in the bottom of the eighth to give the Panthers a 14-4 lead and end the game.

            Taylor Sinclair (2-1) pitched 5.2 innings to earn the win, giving up three earned runs in that span while striking out nine.

            The pair of wins gives UNI nine victories in their last 10 outings. UNI hit .362 in the series, and the Panther pitching staff collected 34 strikeouts on the weekend.  

            UNI returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Grand View at 3 p.m.