• Roster
• ▪
• Schedule / Results
• ▪
• News
• ▪
• Archives

May 8, 2007

Box Score

FARGO, N.D. -

            The University of Northern Iowa baseball team split a pair of one-run seven-inning games at North Dakota State on Tuesday. The Panthers dropped the first contest 2-1 after collecting just three hits, but came back to win 8-7 in the second game on 12 hits.

            Brett Featherston was 3-of-5 with 5 RBIs in the second game, including a two-run home run.

In the first game, Deric Manrique was hit by a pitch in the top of the third, and then stole second. He moved to third on a single by Eric Hoffmann, and scored on a ground out from Brandon Douglas.

            It looked like the Bison (12-25) tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Kenny Beese scored from first on a double from Luke Otto, but the umpires ruled that Beese missed third base and was called out.

            With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Angelo Cordova issued four straight free passes, three walks and hit batsman, to give the Bison the tying run.

            Ryan Langlais led off the bottom of the sixth with a double off the center field wall. With one out, Matt Watson singled up the middle to score Langlais and give NDSU a 2-1 lead.

            UNI (20-24) was retired in order in the top of the seventh to end the ballgame. Boone Bugger was charged with the loss.

            In game two, Hoffmann hit a one-out double to left in the top of the first. With two outs, Brett Featherston traded places with Hoffmann with a double off the center field wall that gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

            Manrique led off the top of the third with a single. He stole second, and Hoffmann drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Both runners advanced on a steal, and Featherston followed with a one-out single through the right side to score both runners and give UNI a 3-1 advantage.

            In the top of the fourth, Eddie Almonte hit a one-out single through the left side, and Gabe Schultz drove a 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for his first home run of his career, putting UNI in front 5-0.

            Greg Plecki legged out an infield single in the bottom half of the inning. Matt Mossey followed with a walk, and Ryan Langlais singled to score Plecki from second and move Mossey to third. Sebastian Miles doubled into center to score both runners and narrow the gap to 5-3 at the end of four.

            In the top of the fifth, Brandon Douglas snuck a single past the glove of a diving Luke Otto. Featherston lined his ninth home run of the season over the right field wall to give the Panthers a 7-3 lead.

            In the bottom of the fifth, Otto reached on a fielder's choice, and Plecki homered into left to cut the Panther lead to 7-5. Mossey drew a walk and moved to second when Zimmerman followed with a free pass. Langlais loaded the bases when he reached on an error, and Mossey made it a one-run game when he scored on a failed pick-off attempt at second. Gavin Hofer singled into left to reload the bases. Bryan Westphal entered the game and sent down Miles looking and got Billy Gazich to ground out to third and end the inning.

            UNI got an insurance run in the top of the seventh after Hoffmann led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a single by Embury. Boone Bugger singled up the middle to score Hoffman.

            Langlais hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Panthers' lead to one, but the Bison were unable to close the gap. Westphal earned the win, and Jason Barry picked up his fourth save of the season.

            The Panthers return to action on Friday when they play at Southern Illinois in the first of a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series.