After a 4-2 sixth-inning deficit, the Northern Illinois baseball team hustled its way to an exciting walk-off 5-4 victory over Illinois Chicago Tuesday at Elfstrom Stadium. NIU is now 5-0 all-time, with two wins over UIC, at the home of the Midwest League’s Kane County Cougars.
“It was a great night out there,” said NIU coach Ed Mathey. “Kane County’s Elfstrom Stadium is a wonderful venue. We appreciate them letting us continue to come out there and play games. It was really a nice night for the NIU baseball program.”
On an evening that started warm and sunny, ending on the cool side, the Huskies (13-22) did the opposite. NIU started with a 2-0 disadvantage after a second-inning two-run home run to left field by Ryan Boss. The Huskies then tied it in the third on a Marvin Sanchez RBI groundout, scoring Joe Buonavolanto after a leadoff double to left, and Alex Beckmann two-out RBI single that dropped near the left field line, scoring Brian Riegler from second after he reached on a walk. The Flames (12-21) then scratched two runs in the sixth on a single to right and double play before the Huskies warmed up in the dramatic ninth.
UIC started the inning by turning to reliever Jason Ganek, who hit Jordin Hood on his second pitch. Buonavolanto followed with a single to left, and while Hood raced to third, Nick Addison bobbled the ball and Buonavolanto hustled into second. On the next play, Riegler reached out for a grounder in the left side hole and hustled down the line, forcing a throwing error by short stop Andy Leonard that allowed Hood and Buonavolanto to score. With the game tied, 4-4, Sanchez laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the winning run in pinch-runner Tom Kotis to second. Alex Jones then stepped to the plate and hit a grounder that first baseman Boss couldn’t handle, bouncing off his glove. Boss recovered and fired a throw home that appeared to be in time, but Kotis slid headfirst around the outside edge of the plate, swiping his left hand in before catcher Nathan Orf’s tag was made.
“We took advantage of some opportunities in the ninth inning,” Mathey said. “From our standpoint, we did some good things baseball-wise. We were chasing two runs in the ninth and the first goal is to get the tying run in the batter’s box. We did that right away after Hood was hit by the pitch. Joe then hustled into second to get into scoring position on a bobbled ball. Riegler battled in his at-bat and put the ball in play and Joe made his second good base running read of the inning, scoring on a bad throw to first. We brought in good speed with Tom Kotis and Marvin put down a nice bunt. We were able to send Tom on that grounder to first and he made a great slide.
“Yeah, we took advantage of their mistakes, but we also made the plays to force them and did good things to win this game. It’s good to see and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for us: that we are battling. That’s what we are going to have to do to win games.”
In NIU’s first walk-off win since a 5-4 decision over Buffalo March 22, 2009 that ended on a Dave Reynolds double, Andy Deain (3-1) earned the victory. The closer recorded only two outs, both strikeouts, to get the decision, while starter Brian Smith threw a season-high 6.1 innings for a no-decision. Smith gave up four runs on nine hits with one strikeout and walked no batters.
“Brian keeps getting better,” Mathey said. “He’s getting his stamina going and making pitches. He has a good presence on the mound and is a good fielder. He didn’t walk anybody and he scattered the hits today. It’s good to see him progress like this.”
Ganek (0-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs, one earned, on a hit and hit-by-pitch as he recorded the lone out of the final frame.
Along with Deain’s short, but sweet, effort, Brett Frantini, Tom Zelasko and Ben Etcheverry also helped log the final 2.2 scoreless frames by the Huskie bullpen. Frantini came into the seventh with runners on first and third and one out. He was able to get a swinging strikeout against leadoff hitter Steve McGuiggan, and after a walk, he induced a fly-out to right fielder Reynolds to end the threat. Zelasko worked the eighth, working around a two-out double. After allowing a leadoff single in the ninth, Etcheverry fielded a sacrifice bunt to get an out before turning the game over to Deain.
“Brett was facing the top of the order and strikes the guy out with a runner on third and one-out,” said Mathey. “Deain did the same thing in the eighth with a guy on second. That’s what we need in those situations.
“Zelasko threw the ball well, too. I was really happy with our bullpen tonight.”
Buonavolanto led the NIU offense with a season-best 3-for-4 performance and scored two runs.
