April 13, 2008

Box Score

NORMAL, Ill. -

                Cold temperatures and intermittent sleet and rain could not cool the Panther bats as the University of Northern Iowa baseball team scored 24 runs on 20 hits to top Illinois State 24-7 in seven innings Sunday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field. It is the sixth-straight win for UNI, and it give UNI (20-10, 8-1) its second sweep over a Missouri Valley Conference opponent and sole possession of first place in the league standings. Junior shortstop Brandon Douglas hit for the cycle, finishing 4-of-6 from the plate.

Douglas also finished with five RBIs and four runs scored. He is the first Panther to hit for the cycle since Aaron McEachran accomplished the feat at Air Force on March 2, 2001.

Chris Lopez and Brett Featherston were each 3-of-5 from the plate with a home run each. Five other Panthers collected two hits from the plate. UNI was 20-of-40 from the plate as a team.

Mike O'Leary (2-1) allowed four earned runs while striking out two in 5.0 innings to earn the win for UNI.

In the top of the first, Levi Ferguson singled into right and then moved to third when Brandon Douglas followed with a double into right field. Chris Lopez doubled into left center to score both Ferguson and Douglas. Brett Featherston knocked a single into center to score Lopez and give UNI an early 3-0 advantage.

                Travis Hendrix and Cory Ege drew walks in the top of the second, and Deric Manrique singled up the middle to score Hendrix. Ferguson drew a walk to load the bases, and Brandon Douglas hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Ege to score. Lopez hit his second double of the game, lacing a ball down the left field line to score Manrique. Brandon Douglas scored on a wild pitch, and Brett Featherston singled to score Lopez and put UNI in front 8-0.

                Illinois State (13-17, 3-9) used a Panther error and three hits, including a two-run home run from Quinn Ewert, to score three runs in the bottom of the second, cutting the UNI lead to 8-3.

                The Panthers used 10 hits, three of them home runs, to score 13 runs in the top of the third. Eddie Almonte drew a walk, Ege singled into right, and Manrique was issued a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Ferguson singled up the middle to score Almonte and Ege and put UNI in front 10-3. Brandon Douglas hit his third home run of the series, clearing the wall in left center and giving the Panthers a 13-3 lead. Lopez drew a walk, and Featherston hit a home run over the center field wall to extend the Panthers' lead to 15-3.  Brett Douglas doubled off the left field wall, and Almonte and Ege singled to load the bases. Manrique cleared the bases with a triple into left center to bring the score to 18-3. Manrique scored on a ground out by Ferguson, and Brandon Douglas followed with a single up the middle. Lopez hit a home run over the left field wall to extend UNI's lead to 21-3.

                Kevin Dubler hit a two-run shot in the bottom half of that inning to bring the score to 21-5. The Panthers got those runs back in the top of the fourth, however, making it a 23-5 game.

                In the top of the sixth, Manrique was hit by a pitch. He scored on a triple off the center field wall by Brandon Douglas, bringing the score to 24-5.

                Illinois State added a run in the bottom of the sixth and another in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 24-7.  

                The 24 runs are the most scored by UNI since matching that mark against Rockhurst on April 29, 2001.

                The Panthers return to action on Wednesday when they host Minnesota at 3 p.m.