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May 17, 2007

Box Score

WATERLOO, Iowa- With his 15^th and final strikeout of the evening, junior Aaron Jenkins earned another spot in the Panther record books and helped the University of Northern Iowa baseball team top Bradley, 4-2. Jenkins notched the 247^th strikeout of his career, tying Steve Beard's 10-year-old record.

The career mark comes less than a week after Jenkins (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) broke Nic Ungs' single-season strikeout mark of 110. With 15 strikeouts in his final start of the year, Jenkins tied a career high and boosted his single season mark to 126.

He was nearly flawless through nine innings of work, save for a game-tying two-run homer in the fifth inning. In a complete-game effort, Jenkins (4-4) allowed just two runs on five hits and two walks.

Embury (Kelowna, British Columbia/Kelowna) provided the difference-maker with a solo shot in the seventh. The junior launched a 1-0 fastball over the left-centerfield wall to give UNI the lead and give Jenkins a chance for a win.

The Panthers opened the game with two runs in the first and closed the contest with runs in the seventh and eighth. Brandon Douglas (St. Charles, Iowa/I-35) drove in the first run of the game with a line drive to centerfield to score Deric Manrique (Sioux City, Iowa/North), who led off the top of the first with a double down the left field line. Douglas scored two batters later when Embury drove a shot up the middle. Two runs in the first gave Jenkins a 2-0 lead through one.

The junior struck out the side in both the second and fourth innings, but surrendered the fifth-inning two-run homer to lose the lead. He rebounded to strike out the side in the seventh, giving him 14 strikeouts through seven innings.

Embury's solo shot in the seventh broke the tie and gave UNI a 3-2 advantage. Jenkins came out in the eighth and sat down the Bradley attack in order and earned an insurance run on a brilliantly executed hit-and-run by Jordan Kraayenbrink (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah) and Manrique. Kraayenbrink drove a liner up the middle as Manrique took off from second and scored as the ball reached the outfield grass. One run in the eighth gave UNI a 4-2 lead heading to the ninth.

Jenkins broke the record in the ninth and sat down the Braves in order to earn the 4-2 win.

Offensively, Manrique tallied two hits and scored a pair of runs. Embury drove in two with two hits, including his fourth home run of the season. Douglas and Kraayenbrink tallied a hit and an RBI each.

The Panthers improve to 22-27 overall, 7-15 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley falls to 29-18 on the season, 12-10 in Valley play.

The Panthers and Braves meet for game two Friday, May 18 at 6:30 pm.