May 4, 2007
Box Score
WATERLOO, Iowa -
The University of Northern Iowa baseball team scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 3-0 Wichita State lead and top the No. 10 Shockers, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium Friday night. Travis Hendrix (Sonora, Calif./ Sonora) hit a two-out, two-RBI single to give UNI the lead, and Deric Manrique (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) was 2-of-4 with a double and a run scored for the Panthers. Aaron Jenkins (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) pitched in his second consecutive complete game, striking out eight on the way to the win.
Jenkins (3-3) earned the win for the Panthers, giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits through nine innings.
Travis Banwart (8-3) pitched 6.1 innings for the Shockers, giving up four runs, only one of them earned, on five hits, two walks and hit batsman.
Conor Gillaspie doubled to left center to lead off the top of the second. He moved to third on a long fly ball to right by Tyler Weber and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Blake Hurlbutt. In the top of the fifth, Derek Schermerhorn reached on a walk and moved to third on a single by Damon Sublett. He scored when Danny Jackson reached safely on a two-out error, giving the Shockers a 2-0 lead.
WSU added another run in the top of the sixth after Gillaspie led off the inning with a single. He moved to third on long fly balls by Weber and Hurlbutt then scored on a two-out single by Dusty Coleman.
Deric Manrique (Sioux City, Iowa/ Sioux City North) led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center. He moved to third on a long fly ball by Eric Hoffmann (Erskine, Minn./ Win-E-Mac), and Brandon Douglas (St. Charles, Iowa/ I-35 Truro) ran out an infield single to score Manrique and put UNI on the board. Dane Embury (Kelowna, BC/ Kelowna) bunted, and Banwart's throw pulled the shortstop off the bag, allowing both runners to reach safely. Jamie Ballesteros (Huntington Park, Calif./ Malibu) followed with a ground ball to the shortstop. Coleman misplayed the ball, which went into left-center field to allow Douglas to score and put Embury on third representing the tying run. A wild pitch moved Ballesteros to third, and the Shockers elected to walk Brett Featherston (Epworth, Iowa/ West Dubuque) to load the bases with two outs. Travis Hendrix (Sonora, Calif./ Sonora) drove the first pitch up the middle to score two and put the Panthers in front, 4-3.
UNI retired the next three batters in order. In the bottom half of the inning, Manrique led off with a single and moved to second when a bunt by Ballesteros resulted in a WSU error. A bunt by Douglas gave UNI runners at second and third with one out, but the Panthers were unable to move them across the plate.
Jenkins sent down the Shockers in order in the top of the eighth, and the Panthers sent only four to the plate in the bottom half of the inning.
Hurlbutt drew a full-count walk to lead off the top of the ninth, ending a streak of seven straight Shockers retired by the Panthers. Hurlbutt stole second to give WSU the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. A long throw from Douglas pulled Featherston off the bag, but the junior was able to get the tag down to put out Coleman. Andy Dirks flew out to left to record the second out of the inning. Schermerhorn hit a ground ball to Ballesteros at third, and the junior's throw to first went into the dirt to keep the inning alive and put runners on the corners with two out. Sublett followed with a ground ball to Featherston, who notched the unassisted out to end the game.
The Panthers and Shockers return to action on Saturday at 2 p.m.
