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Northern Illinois Storms Back for 13-7 First Round Victory Over Ball State
May 21, 2008
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - Fourth-seeded Northern Illinois stormed back after trailing 6-0 through three innings and scored 13 of the game's next 14 runs in a 13-7 first round victory over fifth-seeded Ball State Wednesday afternoon at VA Memorial Stadium. The Huskies (27-24) won their first round tournament game for the first time since 2004 and will face No. 1 Kent State, a 4-2 winner over No. 8 Central Michigan, Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. CT. Jeff Thomas (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem), Justin Behm (Downers Grove, Ill./North) and Dave Reynolds (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) each drove in three runs in the win. Trevor Feeney (Channahon, Ill./Joliet Catholic) earned the win (6-4) in the start. "I am real proud of our hitters and the way they fought back today," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Jeff [Thomas], Justin [Behm], Jordin [Hood], Joe [Buonavolanto] and Dave [Reynolds] all had big days for us. Ball State had made some adjustments since the first time they faced Trevor [Feeney] but he countered with adjustments of his own. There are no secrets at this time of year." Ball State scored the first run of the game on a solo home run by Zach Dygert, who led off the second by clearing the right-center field fence. The Cardinals extended their margin to six with a five-run third on a pair of home runs to right field. Wayne Bond provided the initial runs on a two-run homer and later with two outs, Kory Benbow kept the inning alive when he reached base on a infield single out in front of the plate. With two runners on, Matt Stoeklen hit a three-run homer that made it 6-0. With two Huskie runners on base, an errant throw on a ground ball hit to second base by Reynolds allowed Behm and Danny Reed (Lindstrom, Minn./North Iowa Area CC) and got NIU on the board in the fourth. Later in the frame with Reynolds on second, Thomas belted a two-run hone run to right that got the Huskies within a run at 6-5. All five of NIU's runs in the inning were unearned as the Cardinals committed three errors. Northern Illinois claimed its first lead of the game in the bottom of fifth. Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a wild throw. Behm, the next hitter, blasted a two-run home run over straightaway center field to put the Huskies up 7-6. Later in the inning, Joe Buonavolanto (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale South) delivered a run-scoring bloop single to left that extended the lead to two. After Ball State cut its deficit back to one on a Benbow home run in the sixth, the Huskies countered with a pair of runs in their half of the frame. Bobby Stevens (Chicago, Ill./Guerin Prep) doubled down the left field line to open the inning ahead of a Hood single. With runners on the corners, Behm delivered a RBI single to plate Stevens and Hood would later score on a fielder's choice. In the eighth, Hood's RBI single with runners at the corner plated Thomas from third and extended the Huskie lead to 11-7. NIU added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on doubles by Reynolds and Buonavolanto. Hood and Behm led the Huskies with three hits each in the game and five players scored two runs a piece. Brandon Copp (Aurora, Ill./West) tossed a hitless inning of relief before Dan Atkenson (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) recorded two scoreless innings to close out the game. "It is definitely good to be on the winning side in your first game," said Mathey. "It allows you to come back in the next game and not have your `back against the wall' so you can focus. The next game will be a tremendous challenge regardless of who we face." The Huskies will face the winner of Wednesday night's game between Kent State and Central Michigan on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT. All the action can be heard locally on WLBK (1360-AM) and worldwide on NIUHuskies.com. Complete tournament information and results are available on the MAC's official website, MAC-Sports.com. HUSKIE TRACKS -NIU-
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