After trailing 9-4 in the seventh inning, the Northern Illinois baseball team rallied for a run in the seventh and two more in the ninth to close the gap, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate, but did not do any further damage. In the rubber match of a three-game Mid-American Conference series, Ohio came out on top Sunday, 9-7, scoring on 12 hits with the help of three walks and four hit-by-pitches.
The NIU (12-22, 5-7 MAC) comeback began in the seventh on a warm and sunny afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field. Brian Smith laid down a one-out bunt single to the left side of the mound and Brett Frantini singled up the middle. Marvin Sanchez loaded the bases with a walk for Alex Jones, who lined out to center for a sacrifice fly. Alex Beckmann then grounded to third for a fielder’s choice force at second to end the threat with two on.
“We are trading outs to get runs,” said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. “That’s exactly what is going on. We had some opportunities to score some runs and help ourselves out. We just didn’t get it done. I talked to our players after the game and told them that it’s not going to happen unless you make it happen. We have to get back to work and do the things that we need to do to get it right. That means taking more swings in the batting cages and doing some things on their own.
“It just doesn’t come around and the other team is not going to give games to us. We need to get back to battling.”
After Ohio (10-23, 6-6 MAC) scratched a run off Tom Zelasko in the seventh, closer Andy Deain escaped the jam by fanning Adam Gecewich on a devastating slurve and posted scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth, allowing just a hit and striking out three, to give the Huskies a chance.
“Andy Deain did a real nice job for us today, giving us a chance to win,” Mathey said. “He came into the seventh inning when it could have gotten away. I didn’t want to throw Andy that long but he told me he could go two-plus innings. He got us a big strikeout and shut the door on those guys. That was as big as anything for us.”
In the Huskie ninth, Joe Etcheverry started it with a double past a diving Robert Maddox in left. Smith took Ben Trimbur’s pitch off the elbow, and after Frantini flew out to center, Sanchez walked on four pitches to load the bags again. NIU then caught a break as Jones slapped a grounder to short stop Wesley O’Neill but his throw was dropped by second baseman Zach Keen in an attempt to turn two, letting a run score and keeping the bases loaded. Beckmann followed with a sacrifice fly to right, bringing NIU within two runs, as he just got underneath the ball or the game might have ended there. Representing the go-ahead run, Jordin Hood then stepped to the plate, and after fouling a pair of good pitches straight back, he ended up striking out on a 2-2 low and away breaking ball outside of the zone to give Ohio the series win.
“Joe Etcheverry started it by fighting off a two-strike pitch for a double instead of striking out,” said Mathey. “Brian Smith wears the pitch, and now all of a sudden we have things going. Marvin then has a nice at-bat and we have the tying run to the plate. We had some nice things going there and got the tying run to first base. We just couldn’t get the hit we needed.”
Bobcat starter Seth Streich (1-3) was given his first career win after giving up four runs on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings. NIU starter Tom Barry (2-3) took the loss, surrendering seven runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Sanchez led the Huskie offense by reaching base three times, blasting his first career home run on a liner to left after a Smith double to give NIU a 2-0 lead in the third.
“Marvin has been working,” Mathey said. “He’s been working. He’s been doing things on his own, taking extra swings after practice. He really wants it and I’m so happy to see him do well. He made a couple nice defensive plays today, too. He has that ability to do both. If he can stay where he’s at, he is going to help us.”
Following a two-run Bobcat fourth, with Dave Reynolds on second after a walk and steal, Troy White delivered a one-out single up the middle to give the Huskies their second and last lead of the game.
With the help of three hit-by -pitches, two by Barry and one by Zelasko, and two walks by Barry, Ohio needed only three hits to plate five runs in the fifth for a 7-3 advantage.
“That fifth inning was tough on Tom Barry,” Mathey said. “Ohio is a dangerous team, and they were this weekend.”
The Bobcats scored again the sixth, aiding from two wild pitches, before NIU answered with a threat in the sixth, but only one run came of it. Beckmann led off with a walk and moved to second a wild pitch before Hood advanced him to third on a grounder to second. Reynolds then dropped an RBI single to left in front of Maddox. However, the rally ended on the next play as White hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
Along with his two hustle-hits, and first two safeties of the season, Smith scored three runs in his best plate performance of 2010.
“Brian is starting to play really well,” said Mathey. “Earlier in the season, we were worried a bit about his arm coming off last year’s surgery so we didn’t spend as much time with his bat as we wanted to. He was a first-team all-state hitter in high school and he can help us. He is starting to get his swing back and use his legs the way he can. It’s good to see and he tries to make things happen. He plays the game hard.”
On deck for the Huskies is their second pro stadium game of the season as they will host Illinois Chicago Tuesday, April 20th at Elfstrom Stadium with a 6:05 p.m. first pitch. The park is located in Geneva, Ill. and is the home of the Kane County Cougars, which are the Low-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics.
