Bakersfield, Calif. – The Northern Illinois baseball team belted out 12 runs and 18 hits to collect its first two wins of the season in a doubleheader sweep over Cal State Bakersfield (5-4) on Friday afternoon at Hardt Field. The Huskies (2-6) stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to score five runs over the final four innings for a 6-4 victory in Game One, and junior Jeremy Gonzales allowed one hit over seven shutout innings in NIU’s 6-2 win in Game Two.
“It is great to get our first wins of the season and I’m really proud of us guys today,” said NIU coach Ed Mathey. “In the first game, we were pressing a lot early on. Jordin (Hood) gave us the early lead with a home run, but we left too many runners on base in the innings after that. We were getting definitely getting to their pitcher and we eventually broke through in sixth. Scoring two runs in ninth was huge for us because we needed those in the end.”
“Our pitchers did a great job today. They gave us a chance to win both games. Chuck (Lukanen) did a great job keeping us in the first game. He gave us a huge lift in the fifth inning when he got out of a big jam by allowing just that one run. That was a huge momentum swing for us. I’m really happy for Jeremy (Gonzales). This was a homecoming for him and he was absolutely fired up. He had them off balance and threw one heck of a game.”
In game one, NIU tied a season-high with 19 baserunners, including ten hits, eight walks and a hit by pitch. Senior Jordin Hood scored two runs and went 3-for-4 at the plate, including his team-leading second home run of the season. Senior Joe Buonavolanto was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and sophomore Alex Jones reached base three times (2-for-4, walk), and scored two runs.
Senior Chuck Lukanen (0-2) gave up three runs over six solid innings and stuck out a season-high nine batters. Junior Tom Zelasko (1-0) picked up the win in relief after inducing two outs in the seventh frame, and Andy Deain closed out the game for his first save in two seasons. Before briefly making the transition to starter in 2009, Deain led the Mid-American Conference with 10 saves and was a second-team All-MAC selection as NIU’s closer in 2008.
The Huskies took an early lead with two outs in the first inning when Hood blasted his 25th career home run. NIU went out in order in the top of the second and CSUB took the lead right back in the bottom of the frame with a two-out, two-RBI triple.
CSUB loaded the bases with zero outs in the bottom of the fifth, only to score one run on a sacrifice fly. Lukanen held two runners in scoring position after a strike out and fly out ended the frame with CSUB up 3-1.
In the top of the sixth, Joe Etcheverry and Alex Beckmann both walked and advanced to scoring position on passed balls. With two outs, Buonavolanto drove them in with a double down the right field line to tie the game at 3-3.
After a CSUB pitching change in the seventh inning, Jones walked and advanced to third on a double by Hood. Senior Dave Reynolds drove in Jones with sacrifice fly to left field to give the Huskies a 4-3 lead.
The bullpen duo of Zelasko and Kyle Glancyheld the Roadrunners hitless and scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings. Glancy recorded four straight outs in relief of Zelasko, and has held opponents hitless over 3.2 innings in three appearances so far this season.
NIU loaded the bases twice in the top of ninth inning and added two insurance runs after Jones scored on a sacrifice fly by Troy White and Hood scampered home on a passed ball with two outs.
Game two belonged to Gonzales (1-0), who faced 25 batters over seven shutout innings, just four over the minimum. He retired the first seven batters he faced, walked only two and struck out a season-high seven. The only hit he allowed was a bunt single up the third baseline in the bottom of the third.
At the plate, sophomore Jake Hermsen belted his first career home run, Etcheverry went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Hood added an RBI single. After both picking up a pair of RBI on the day, Etcheverry and Hood are now tied for the team-lead with six RBI.
