April 15, 2011
Final Stats
ATHENS, Ohio-The Northern Illinois baseball team finally broke through with four runs in the seventh inning against the host Bobcats and held off the home team in the ninth inning to capture a 5-4 win Friday evening in Bob Wren Stadium in the first of a three-game series between the two teams.
The Huskies improved to 16-16 overall and 7-3 in the Mid-American Conference, while Ohio dropped to 15-19 and 2-8 in the league.
NIU catcher Brett Frantini went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Ohio got a 3-for-3 effort from center fielder Ethan Newton, while left fielder Jensen Painter drove in two.
NIU starter Zach Oates (3-5) got the win, pitching seven and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with one strikeout and one walk. Closer Kyle Glancy nailed down his eighth save after getting the game's last four outs and giving up one run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Ohio starter Seth Streich (0-5) was hit with the loss after he surrendered three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks in six and two-thirds innings. Reliever Matt Robin allowed just a hit in the final two and one-third innings with one strikeout and one walk.
Painter put the Bobcats on top by a 2-0 score early when his two-run blast down the left field line cleared the wall in the first inning for his third homer of the year.
NIU plated a run in the second to cut the margin in half, but Streich cruised from there into the seventh inning, retiring 11 straight batters at one point.
The Huskies scored four times in the seventh, but Ohio got one in the bottom half of the eighth frame and in the ninth on an RBI double by second baseman Bryan Barnes and an RBI groundout by shortstop Garrett Black, respectively.
Ohio got runners to second and third with two out in its last at-bat and nearly won the game when right fielder Adam Gecewich torched a Glancy offering back up the box. However, the hurler snared the liner right by his head to clinch the victory for the visitors.
NIU left fielder Cory Krupp stole his ninth base in the top of the first inning, while Newton swiped his 15th in the bottom half.
The two teams are scheduled to continue the series Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Bob Wren Stadium.
