WATERLOO, Iowa (May 15, 2005) -- Northern Iowa scored two runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball to earn a 2-1 Missouri Valley Conference baseball victory versus Bradley Sunday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium.
Northern Iowa (26-24, 9-12) completed the weekend sweep versus the Braves (26-18, 9-12) and is now tied with Bradley heading into the final week of the regular season. Both teams are locked in a tight race for the final three spots in the ConAgra Foods Missouri Valley Conference Tournament May 25-28 at Wichita State.
Bradley scored its lone run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Johnny Sage. Bradley missed out on a chance to add to its lead, however, by stranding Adam Uscicki at third base when Ryan Curry flew out to end the inning. The Braves also put runners in scoring position in each of the last three innings, only to come up empty.
Northern Iowa forged a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning when Mark Frieske scored on a Brian Spielmann wild pitch with the bases loaded and one out. Spielmann got the next two hitters on fly balls to end the sixth without further damage.
Bradley could not avoid its sixth consecutive Valley road loss, however, as the Panthers scored the winning run in the seventh.
After a pair of UNI singles to open the seventh, Michael Christl relieved Spielmann (2-2) and immediately got the lead runner out on a comebacker for the inning's first out. Christl then uncorked a wild pitch to put runners at second and third. That pitch proved costly when Jose Guzman scored from third later in the at-bat when catcher Ryan Eigsti suffered his second passed ball of the game.
Eigsti nearly made up for the scoring play in the top of the ninth by hitting a two-out double down the leftfield line. Johnny Sage grounded out, however, to end the game.
Bradley will return to the road for a Tuesday doubleheader at Eastern Illinois, then will face the stiff challenge of trying to clinch a spot in the MVC Tournament by hosting perennial league power Wichita State Thursday, Friday and Saturday at O'Brien Field.
