Sunday's MAC Baseball Results

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The wind howled out of Presley Askew Field, aiding the home team's efforts in the long ball department as the University of Akron suffered a 17-5 loss in the rubber match against New Mexico State.

Akron (2-5) managed nine hits and had trouble manufacturing runs against NMSU starter Justin Cooper (1-0) this afternoon but would get the bats going late in the game. Conversely, New Mexico State (5-4) clubbed 20 hits, including seven home runs en route to victory.

UA starter Benjamin Danziger (0-2) had a tough outing, suffering the loss after giving up six runs on 10 hits while tallying three strikeouts. Cooper surrendered two runs (one earned) on six hits and struck out eight, earning the Aggie victory.

The Zips, playing just their second series on an actual diamond were led by seniors Kyle Hallett who finished the game 3-for-4 and Kevin Haas who was 1-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, gained valuable experience despite losing this series in the desert. Through the series, Akron had three players finish with six hits or more, including Hallett and Drew Turocy who each finished with nine and a home run each. In all, Akron finished the four-game stint with 46 hits, including 10 doubles and three home runs with 26 RBIs.

The Aggies led 6-0 before the Zips plated a run in atop the fifth when Akron toughened up at the plate with two outs. Jason Corzine got things started with a single to left and Nick Solitario followed with a base knock to center before Turocy followed with a RBI-single to right to score Corzine but a strikeout would retire the side with NMSU up 6-1.

The Zips added another run in the sixth to make it 6-2 when Haas hustled to first on a misplayed ball by the Aggies' third baseman. Hallett followed with a single to first which moved Haas to third before Jake Plata drove him in on an infield single.

New Mexico State retaliated with a run in the home half of the sixth on a solo shot to right field, facing Zach Yike who began the frame in relief of Danziger with a strikeout. Yike would settle in, inducing a fly out and ground out to end the inning with NMSU ahead 7-2.

In the seventh, facing reliever Sam Watkins the Aggies bats came alive in a big way, in large part thanks to the wind blowing out of Presley Askew Field. Watkins got the first batter to fly out before surrendering a double and home run, giving New Mexico a 9-2 lead. With two outs, the Aggies capitalized on the elements, adding eight more runs on a RBI-triple, RBI-double and two home runs.

The Zips looked poised to retaliate atop the eight, with two outs when Hallett led off with a single and Kordal followed with a one-out single to right of his own. A ground out would move both runners into scoring position before Corzine put a charge into a ball which sailed out to left however a superb play by the left fielder on the line drive would end Akron's scoring chance.

Turocy took the mound for Akron in the bottom of the eight and retired the side in order on a pair of groundouts and a strikeout. Akron manufactured three runs on Haas' homer to left-center which came after Turocy reached second base on an error and pinch hitter Ivory Alexander drew a walk to put runners on first and second. NMSU's reliever Zach Biehl would retire the side with a strikeout and fly out to end the game 17-5 in favor of the home team.

Akron travels to Wilmington, N.C. next week (March 5-7) to take on UNC Wilmington and Stony Brook University. The Zips will face the UNCW Seahawks on Friday, March 5th at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Eastern Michigan 10, North Florida 8; South Alabama 15, Eastern Michigan 14
MOBILE, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) - After beginning Sunday morning, Feb. 28, with a 10-8 win over the University of North Florida Ospreys, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team closed its trip to Mobile, Ala. with a heartbreaking 15-14 loss to the University of South Alabama Jaguars in the night cap at Stanky Field. The win against UNF and loss to USA puts the Eagles' record at 2-4 this season.

Down 11 at one point in the contest, the Jaguars made a seemingly improbable comeback a reality to tie the game in the eighth inning, as a 14-7 game became a 14-14 game after several USA hits and EMU errors. South Alabama completed the 11-run come-from-behind win in the bottom of the ninth, as a walk-off RBI single by Overstreet sealed the Eagles' fate.

Junior pitcher Corey Chaffins (New London, Ohio-New London) just missed earning his second win of the season, as he picked up a no decision after going seven innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) on 10 hits and one walk, while striking out three Jaguars.

After holding on to an 11-0 lead in the fourth inning, the Eagles found themselves in 14-7 dogfight going into the eighth. But seven runs by the Jaguars evaporated that lead completely, as a two-out three-run home run by Sean Laird put the finishing touches on the inning, making it a 14-all game going into the ninth inning.

The Eagles threatened an inning later with back-to-back base hits to start the inning by senior Todd Graves (St. Marys, Ohio-St. Marys Memorial) and junior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley), but costly mistakes on the base paths led to a pair of outs, keeping the score knotted at 14-14 going into the bottom of the ninth, where USA completed the comeback to escape Stanky Field with the win.

Freshman Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and three runs scored in game two, while senior Aaron Crooks (Toledo, Ohio-Ottawa Hills) and junior Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) both tallied three hits for the Eagles in game two.

The Green and White scored in every inning except the seventh and ninth, tallying a season-best 16 hits in the game two loss.

EMU got off to a strong start in game two, scoring eight runs in the first three innings to take an 8-0 advantage. The Eagles would score three more in the top of the fourth to go ahead, 11-0, but the Jaguars put up five runs in the bottom half of the inning to limit the damage and limit the Eagles' lead to 11-5. South Alabama took over from that point on, out-scoring the Eagles 10-3 in the final six innings to escape with the win.

In game one with the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth, the Ospreys' Casey Medlen hit sophomore Wally Gerbus (Fairfield, Ohio-Stephen T. Baden) to give the Eagles a base runner with two outs. Back-to-back base hits by redshirt sophomore transfer Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) and Battiston scored Gerbus, giving Eastern Michigan a 7-6 edge. An intentional walk to junior Matt Skirving (Midland, Mich.-H.H. Dow) loaded the bases and a hit batter gave the Eagles a two run edge. A Texas league single to left field by junior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) plated two more runners, giving EMU a 10-6 advantage.

North Florida managed to put two runs on the board in the top of the ninth, but a solid relief effort by freshmen Taylor Dimmering (Perrysburg, Ohio-Perrysburg) and Brett Cisper (Loveland, Ohio-Moeller) helped the Eagles win the game down the stretch.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Collin Taylor (Cincinnati, Ohio-Lakota West) picked up the win in relief for the Eagles, while Casey Medlen took the loss for the Ospreys.

Leonard led the Eagles at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run scored and two RBI, while senior Andrew Marshall (Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston) had three RBI for the Eagles in the win.

Battiston also collected a pair of hits for the Eagles in game one, while Graves went 1-for-3 with two RBI in the victory.

EMU is back in action Tuesday and Wednesday, March 2-3, when they take on the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in Little Rock, Ark. It marks the first ever meeting between the two squads.

Kentucky 10, Bowling Green 4
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Bowling Green has shown it has a knack for scoring early and often in their first six games of the 2010 season. Despite cashing in on that skill on Sunday afternoon in the series finale against Kentucky (No. 29, NCBWA), the Falcons were bitten by errors and three multi-run innings by the Wildcats in their 10-4 loss on Sunday afternoon.

Taking the hill for the Wildcats was southpaw Logan Darnell (1-0, 3.00) and the Falcons made the lefty and his defense work early. After Logan Meisler singled back to Darnell on the hill, he advanced to second on a Dennis Vaughn groundout. After Tyler Elkins singled up the middle, a throwing error by UK centerfielder Keenan Wiley allowed Meisler to score giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead. With the Falcons scoring the game's first run Sunday, it extends their streak to five consecutive games the Falcons have crossed the plate first in a game.

In the top of the second inning, Clay Duncan started off a three-run inning for the Falcons, extending their lead to 4-0. After Duncan singled through the left side, freshman Matthew Pitzulo doubled down the left field line. After T.J. Blanton drew a walk from Darnell, the bases were loaded for Jon Berti. The sophomore took a pitch the other way, driving home two runs on the base hit before advancing to second on the throw home. With runners at second and third, Meisler returned to the plate and knocked a single to right field, scoring Blanton.

Kevin Leady (0-1, 8.20) took the ball for the Falcons and after shutting down the Wildcats with a 1-2-3 first inning, he faced some trouble from the middle and latter part of the UK lineup. After a walk and a fielder's choice resulting from a Falcon error put men at first and second. With two outs Michael Williams doubled down the left field line to score Andy Burns. A dropped fly ball by right fielder Mark Galvin allowed two more runs to score as the Wildcats closed the gap to 4-3 after two innings.

After the three-run second inning, Leady settled down and allowed only three hits over the next three innings before running into a jam once again. Andy Burns hit a leadoff triple down the right field line and later scored on a sacrifice fly out. After Leady hit a UK batter and allowed a two-out single, head coach Danny Schmitz brought in sophomore lefty Patrick Martin to face Chris Bisson. On a 2-0 offering from Martin, the lefty Bisson turned on the next toss and hit a three-run homerun over the right field fence of Cliff Hagan Stadium, giving the Wildcats a 7-4 lead.

After Martin finished out the seventh inning without allowing another run, Bowling Green left three men on base in the top of the eighth inning before freshman Nick Bruns entered the game only to be welcomed by three more Kentucky runs.

After Luke Maile hit his first career homerun to lead off the bottom of the eighth, Bruns hit a batter and allowed an RBI triple to Bisson to extend the Wildcat lead to five runs. Bisson later crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to give UK a 10-4 lead.

Between Kyle Jackson and Matt Little, the Kentucky bullpen shut down the Falcon offense, allowing only one hit over the last three innings of the game in their 10-4 win. The victory Sunday afternoon completes the sweep of the Falcons.

Bowling Green (0-6) will return back to northwest Ohio and prepare for its annual spring trip to Winter Haven, Flor. to participate in the annual RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Falcons will open the tournament with the Northeastern Huskies (2-0) who are already playing in Winter Haven. Both Husky wins have been by seven or more runs and NU has score more than ten runs in both of its games thus far. Follow the Falcons through BGSUFalcons.com for complete coverage of their trip to central Florida.

UAB 6, Ball State 5
On a beautiful sunny day in Birmingham, Ala., Ball State's baseball team suffered a 6-5 loss to UAB. With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 2-5 overall, while the Blazers improved to 3-2 on the season.

After Kolbrin Vitek pitched five innings, allowing only one earned run, while striking out three, the Cardinals bullpen was not as effective, and walked eight batters as the Blazers managed five runs off the relievers.

Vitek also did his part offensively with a 2-for-4 day at the plate, including a solo homerun in the top of the ninth that pulled Ball State within the final 6-5 margin.

Ball State came out ready to play after a one hour delay due to umpire issues, and rallied for two runs in the top of the first. A pair of singles by Ryan Chenoweth and Vitek combined with a pair of errors on the UAB leftfielder and a sacrifice fly by Zach Dygert gave Ball State its first run of the game. Ian Nielsen singled to score Vitek and the Cardinals were ahead 2-0.

After allowing one Blazers run in the bottom of the second, Ball State added to its 2-1 lead with one run in the top half of the third. Again, singles told the story for the Cardinals as Nielsen, Stephen Claypool and T.J. Baumet each singled in the inning with Baumet's one bagger scoring Nielsen to give Ball State a 3-1 lead.

With the Cardinals still holding a 3-1 advantage after four innings, Kory Benbow led off the top half of the fifth with a solo homerun over the leftfield wall, his second HR of the season to put Ball State ahead 4-1.

Ball State weathered a big sixth inning for the Blazers where they scored three runs on three singles and two walks, but left the bases loaded and could only tie the Cardinals at 4-4. UAB loaded the bases again in the seventh, but a diving catch by rightfielder Chenoweth ended the Blazers rally with no runs scored and the game still tied at 4-4.

With Ball State going deep into its bullpen in the eighth, UAB loaded the bases with no outs and tallied two runs in the inning to take a 6-4 lead into the ninth.

Vitek led off the Ball State top of the ninth with a solo homer -- his third of the season -- on the second pitch of the inning to bring the Cardinals within 6-5. However, that is all the Cardinals could muster and UAB took game four of the weekend series to claim a 3-1 edge over Ball State.

Chenoweth was 2-for-3 on the day with two walks and one run scored, while Nielsen added two hits in five at bats with one run scored and one RBI.

The Cardinals will travel to Coastal Carolina for the Caravelle Resort Invitational Friday. Ball State will play Pittsburgh Friday in game one of the event and then face Albany and host Coastal Carolina on Saturday and Sunday.

Central Michigan 3, St. Mary's 1
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Ricky Clark went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Jake Sabol tossed a complete-game eight-hitter to lift the Central Michigan baseball team to its first victory of the 2010 season, 3-1 over St. Mary's College, to round out the Bakersfield Tournament at Hardt Field on Sunday.

Clark's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth gave the Chippewas (1-2) a 2-1 lead after the Gaels (2-4) tied the game up in the top of the frame. Clark would add an important insurance run with a single in the sixth.

The Chippewas opened the scoring in the third on a bunt single by Clark, a sacrifice by Tyler Kipke and an RBI single to right by Billy Anderson.

After the Gaels tied it up in the fourth, CMU responded in its half of the inning. James Teas led off with a single and Nate Theunissen, who had three hits in the contest, followed with a double to put both in scoring position. Dale Cornstubble drew a one-out walk to load the bases and Clark's fly ball to right would score Teas from third.

Meanwhile, Sabol was settling in to throw a solid game in his first start of 2010.

A hit batter and an error gave St. Mary's a threat in the first and two hits in the second created another chance for the Gaels, but Sabol worked out of both jams unscathed.

He gave up just one extra-base hit on the day, a double in the fourth that would eventually come around to score on a grounder and a squeeze bunt.

Theunissen led off the sixth with a double and came around to score on a single up the middle by Clark to give CMU and Sabol some breathing room.

The Gaels wouldn't threaten again until the ninth, when a hit batter and a single put the tying run aboard, but Sabol responded with a strikeout and a harmless fly ball to left to seal the victory.

Sabol gave up eight hits and struck out four in the complete game. He did hit three batters, but did not issue a walk.

CMU piled up four extra-base hits, all doubles. Theunissen had two, Kipke and Anderson each added one.

The Chippewas are off until March 5-7, when they face UCF in a three-game series in Orlando, Fla.

Cal State Bakersfield 7, Central Michigan 6
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- In a game suspended due to darkness and rain the Central Michigan baseball team couldn't hold off Cal State-Bakersfield in the ninth, and the Roadrunners scored two runs in the ninth to claim a 7-6 comeback victory at Hardt Field nearly 20 hours after the game started.

The Roadrunners got things going with a leadoff infield single in the ninth, a walk, a balk, an RBI groundout and a two-out single down the right field line by Brandon Boren.

The Chippewas erased a pair of deficits after falling behind 2-0 in the first and 3-2 in the fourth. CMU tied the game at two with single runs in the second and third before taking the lead with three runs in the fifth.

Up 5-4 entering the seventh, Billy Anderson created a run by drawing a walk and stealing second and third. The senior outfielder would score on a throwing error on his attempt at third.

An RBI double by Boren cut the margin back to one in the seventh before the game was called due to darkness.

Jessie Hernandez got the start on the hill and went five innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on 10 hits and a walk. He struck out four. Mike Nixon took over and gave up a run on two hits and a pair of walks while stricking out two. Bryce Morrow worked a scoreless 1 1/3 innings and Zach Cooper was saddled with the blown save and loss, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning.

Martin Medina picked up the win for CSUB, tossing two scoreless innings in relief. He also went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.

James Teas had two RBI, but no Chippewa was able to put together a multiple-hit contest. Anderson scored a pair of runs in a 1-for-4 effort.

Kent State 13, Wake Forest 8
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Kent State jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back in a 13-8 win over Wake Forest. The Golden Flashes improve to 4-2 on the season while Wake Forest Falls to 3-6.

"We put together quite a few big innings," said head coach Scott Stricklin after the game. "We were able to get on base and steal bases. We stole five bases and put the ball in play a lot to put pressure on the defense."

Sophomore David Lyon led Kent State with a 4-for-5 day from the plate with a double and three runs scored. Junior Brett Weibley had one hit in four at-bats with three RBI while sophomore Travis Shaw went 2-for-6 from the plate with his fourth home run of the season in the seventh inning.

Sophomore David Starn picked up his first win in the 2010 season, allowing three earned runs and eight hits while striking out five over 5.2 innings.

"David Starn had a nice start and took us deep into the game. That is what we needed in game four of the series. We got a good start and our bullpen gave up a few runs. David Starn was the key of the game," Stricklin said.

Both teams went in order in the first before Kent State put a crooked number on the board for the first of four times on the day in the second. Senior Anthony Gallas led off the inning with a home-run before junior Ben Klafczynski was hit by the 1-2 pitch. Lyon and sophomore Kyle McMillen both followed with singles to make the score 2-0. Weibley followed with an RBI groundout to give KSU the 3-0 lead after two.

In the fourth, Kent State went up with four runs in the fourth. Lyon and McMillen led off the inning with a pair of singles, followed by a two-RBI double by Weibley. After a KSU fly out, fifth-year senior Jared Humphreys tripled down the right field line to extend the lead to six. Sophomore Jimmy Rider added an RBI single to give Kent State a 7-0 lead.

Wake Forest answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Semeniuk singled, stole second and scored on Mac Williamson's two-out, RBI single.

A double steal and a pair of wild pitches pushed the Flashes lead to 9-1 after five innings. Klafczynski and Lyon singled to begin the inning before both moving into scoring position on a double steal. Wake Forest's Eli Robins then followed with two-straight wild pitches to give KSU a pair of runs. Wake Forest came right back with a pair of its own in the sixth.

In the seventh, Kent State scored four runs in the top of the inning to increase its lead to 13-3. With one out in the frame, Humphreys walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rider followed with an RBI double and scored on Shaw's fourth home run of the season, his third consecutive game with a round-tripper. Three-straight singles Klafczynski, Lyon and freshman Jordan Lucas scored the fourth run of the inning for KSU.

Wake Forest added three runs in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the ninth for the final 13-8 score.

The Golden Flashes return to action next weekend (March 5-7) when they travel to Nashville for the Music City Classic. Kent State faces Vanderbilt Friday at 5 p.m., and Illinois State and Indian on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Lousiana-Lafayette 5, Miami 4
LAFAYETTE, La. - After being held hitless for the first six innings, the Miami University baseball team overcame a three-run deficit to knot the game at four in the eighth inning, only to see Louisiana-Lafayette notch the game-winning run in the bottom of the frame to steal a 5-4 win in Sunday's series finale at Moore Field. The RedHawks (2-4) and Ragin' Cajuns (5-1) split a doubleheader on Saturday.

ULL starting pitcher T.J. Geith kept Miami off balance for much of the contest, not allowing a hit the first six innings and allowing just two hits and one earned run (four total) in seven innings of work with seven strikeouts. Miami freshman Brooks Fiala (Carmel, Ind.) threw five innings in just his second start as a RedHawk, allowing three runs with five strikeouts. Senior reliever Jamaal Hollis (Chicago, Ill.) took the loss (0-2), as he allowed the winning run to reach base, while Thad Griffen (1-0) earned the win for Louisiana, firing two innings with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed.

Ragin' Cajun right fielder Matt Goulas led the ULL offense, going 2-for-4 (both extra-base hits) with a pair of RBI while third baseman William Long also had two hits with two runs scored. The 'Hawks were out-hit 8-3, as junior catcher Adam Weisenburger (Plymouth, Minn.), freshman third baseman Cory Klenke (Coldwater, Ohio) and Fiala recorded Miami's hits.

The Ragin' Cajuns struck first as an RBI triple by Goulas in the bottom of the first put ULL up 1-0. Louisiana then made it 3-0 in the second on a pair of RBI doubles from first baseman Dillon Guillory and left fielder Alex Fuselier.

After allowing four hits over the first two innings, Fiala settled down and limited the Ragin' Cajuns to just one hit over the next three innings until a walk and single to start the sixth caused him to exit in favor of left-hander Sam Dawes (Cincinnati, Ohio), who got the 'Hawks out of the jam unscathed.

Miami finally broke up Geith's no-hitter in the seventh when Fiala doubled to score junior first baseman Kyle Weldon (Mason, Ohio) with two outs, making it 3-1. Louisiana answered in the bottom half of the inning, however, as a double by Goulas plated another run to again put the RedHawk deficit at three. In the top of the eighth, Miami dented the scoreboard once more as Klenke led off with a double and crossed home on an RBI by junior center fielder Adam Eaton (Springfield, Ohio), and a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle by Weisenburger evened the contest at 4-4, as Geith was pulled after Klenke scored.

The Ragin' Cajuns broke the tie in the bottom of the eighth without a hit, however, as Long walked, reached second on a pickoff attempt that wasn't fielded cleanly, stole third and then came around on a suicide squeeze by centerfielder Kyle Olasin. Griffen then forced the RedHawks to go down in order in the top of the ninth to hand Miami the 5-4 defeat.

The RedHawks return to action next weekend with a three-game series at SEC foe Auburn from March 5-7 with Friday's first pitch slated for 7:30 p.m. ET. Miami then continues on to central Florida for its spring break trip at the RussMatt Invitational, March 9-13.

Austin Peay 9, Northern Illinois 8
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - In the finale of a three-game set with Austin Peay, the Northern Illinois baseball team lost 9-8 in an eventful 11 innings on Sunday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park as the Governors (5-2) took advantage of seven NIU (0-6) errors for nine runs on only eight hits in a contest that had three ties and three lead changes.

"We battled hard and our guys came back," said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. "Our pitchers did an outstanding job today, but we didn't deserve to win with this type of defensive effort."

Similar to the first two games of the series, NIU fell behind early after leaving five runners on base and allowing APSU to score three runs in the first three innings. Short stop Jon Clinard's double started the game for the Governors in the first, and he later scored on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Matt Kole. With Clinard on again after a single and a steal in the third, right fielder Jared DeLong brought him home with a single and moved to third after an error by sophomore right fielder Jake Hermsen (New London, Wis./New London). Kole's sacrifice fly then pushed DeLong home to put the Govs up 3-0.

However, the Huskies once again fought back and took their first lead of the year with a four-run fifth inning. NIU loaded the bases with one out after left fielder Cory Krupp (Cary, Ill./Santa Barbara City College) walked, senior second baseman Joe Buonavolanto (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale South) singled and senior center fielder Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) walked. Senior first baseman Dave Reynolds (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) then drove in the first run on a ground out and back-to-back singles from sophomore third baseman Troy White (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and Joe Etcheverry (Bakersfield, Calif./Centennial) tied the game, 3-3. After Matt March replaced APSU starter Jeremy Dobbs, Hermsen reached on a walk to load the bases for sophomore catcher Brett Frantini (Minooka, Ill./Minooka), who gave NIU a 4-3 lead after reaching on a fielder's choice.

"We had some great hustle plays in the fifth inning that helped us score more runs," said Mathey. "I thought we had our best offensive approach all year. It was just a matter of time before we got to their starter, but our defense kept giving runs back."

The Huskie lead was short-lived, though, as the Govs fired right back in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double from Kole that scored Clinard, who reached on a walk.

Austin Peay then reclaimed the lead in the seventh on a two-run home run from DeLong to go up 6-4.

NIU answered in the eighth with an RBI single from sophomore short stop Alex Jones (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) that scored Hermsen, who reached on a single and stole second base. But the Govs added two more runs for an 8-5 advantage in their half. After first baseman John Hogan singled and left fielder Adam Browett walked with one out, third baseman Reed Harper reached on a fielder's choice throwing error by Reynolds to load the bases. Following a force out at home, center fielder Michael Blanchard brought in a run on a Jones error and Clinard forced in a run with a walk.

In the ninth, after a one-out walk by Reynolds and a White hit-by-pitch, Etcheverry knotted the game on a clutch three-run blast, his first of the season. The then Govs loaded the bases in the bottom half with one out, but did not capitalize as sophomore lefty reliever Tom Barry (Orland Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) induced pinch hitter Haskell Fink into a force out at home and struck out pinch hitter Daniel Baggett to preserve the 8-8 tie.

"Job One in the ninth was to get the tying run to the plate, and we did that," Mathey said. "Joe had a great day today. He struggled Friday and worked his behind off during batting practice to get it corrected. It's pleasing to see the results of a kid working hard. He absolutely crushed that ball and it was great. It gave us a chance. We had a couple of opportunities in extra innings but just could not get it done."

Austin Peay then broke through for the win in the 11th after the seventh Huskie error of the game, a one-out miscue from Jones, allowed catcher Trey Lucas to reach first base and gave the Govs momentum. On the next play, Hogan singled and then Browett was intentionally walked to load the bases in hope of getting a force out at home. But third baseman Blake Frazier delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in right field foul territory to end NIU's longest game since a 16-inning 9-6 loss to Portland exactly two years ago.

"That ball was mid-deep and coming back into fair territory, so Jake couldn't let it drop because it was going to be too close," said Mathey. "He made a decent throw home but just didn't have much of a play."

APSU reliever Zach Gerler (1-1) earned the win after throwing the final two innings allowing only one hit and one walk. Govs' starter Dobbs lasted 4.2 innings after giving up four earned runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts. Barry (0-1) was tagged with the loss after tossing three innings surrendering an unearned run on two hits and two walks with a career-high tying three strikeouts. NIU junior starter Jeremy Gonzales (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield College) threw five innings allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits and four walks with one strikeout.

DeLong led the Austin Peay offense going 2-for-6 with three RBI, two runs and his first homer of the season, while Kole added three RBI with a double in four at-bats.

Etcheverry led the Huskies going 3-for-4 with a career-high tying four RBI, two singles, two walks, a run scored and a homer. White went 1-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while Hermsen added a career-best two hits with a walk and a run.

The Huskies will get back to action next weekend as they head to California for their nine-game spring break trip starting with a noon CDT contest against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, March 5th. NIU will also face Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara during the break.

Middle Tennessee State 14, Ohio 6
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-Middle Tennessee belted three home runs and scored 11 runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to complete a three-game sweep over visiting Ohio with a 14-6 win Sunday at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

The Blue Raiders improved to 4-1 overall, while Ohio dropped to 1-5.

MTSU right fielder Will Skinner knocked in three runs, while designated hitter Justin Guidry had three hits, three runs and a pair of RBIs. Third baseman Tyler Burnett (two RBIs), first baseman Blake McDade (two RBIs), second baseman Justin Miller and catcher Tyler Acker all had two hits apiece.

Ohio center fielder Gauntlett Eldemire, a preseason All-American, drove in three runs for the visitors, while third baseman Seth Streich had three hits and scored three runs. First baseman Jerod Yakubik and right fielder Robert Maddox III also contributed two hits.

Blue Raider starting pitcher Eric Gilley (1-0) got the win after going five innings and giving up one earned run on seven hits with four walks. Ohio starter Ryan Bores (0-2) couldn't get out of the third inning and was tagged with his second loss. He allowed four earned runs on six hits in two and one-third innings with a pair of walks.

"We had some defensive breakdowns in communication in the third inning which led to some of their runs," said Ohio head coach Joe Carbone. "Even though we hit into four double plays, we did hit the ball hard and I thought, overall, we swung the bat pretty well."

Yakubik put Ohio on the board first with an RBI single up the middle in the first inning, driving in second baseman Bryan Barnes, who led off the game with a double down the right field line.

After the Blue Raiders fired back with six runs in the bottom of the third, the Bobcats got their second run in their half of the fourth when Eldemire drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Streich, who doubled three batters earlier.

MTSU went up 11-2 with two more in the fourth and three in the fifth, but Streich scored on a double play ball in the Ohio sixth and Eldemire, Yakubik and Maddox drove in runs in the eighth to complete the Bobcats' scoring. The Blue Raiders answered with three tallies in the bottom of the eighth for the final margin.

Ohio left 10 men on base, while Middle Tennessee stranded 10.

Ohio will travel to Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday for a game that is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET.

Pittsburgh 11, Toledo 3
MILLINGTON, TN - Toledo closed out the opening weekend of its spring season with an 11-3 setback to Pittsburgh on Sunday at the USA College Classic in USA Stadium.

The Rockets (2-1) yielded runs in seven different frames, en route to suffering their first loss in 2010.
The Panthers pounded out 13 hits and plated three runs in the second, two each in the first and fourth and one each in third, sixth, seventh and eighth to improve to 5-1 on the season.

UT did not help its own cause in today's weekend finale, surrendering eight walks and three hit batsman, to go along with four errors.

Sophomore Lincoln Rassi (0-1) was tagged with the loss, surrendering six runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and two punchouts in 3.0 innings of work.

The only offense the Midnight Blue & Gold could generate was a single run in the fifth and two tallies in the seventh. They were led by junior Chris Dudics (2-for-4) and sophomore Joe Corfman (1-for-3, 2 RBI).

The Rockets return to action next weekend, March 5-7, when they travel to Conway, SC to compete in four games in the Caravelle Resort Invitational in Conway, SC.