What a way to start the season.

The NIU baseball team opened its 2008 campaign with a 9-6 loss to Portland in 16 innings. The game marks the longest game in school history, both in innings and in time, at four hours and 22 minutes.

“We’ve got to get our baseball legs underneath us,” NIU head coach Ed Mathey said. “Some guys were cramping up. We had opportunities; we just didn’t execute.”

NIU was the first to score in the game when outfielder Danny Reed hit Bobby Stevens home in the fourth inning with a double. Stevens led off the inning with a double.

Reed had a career day, getting a career-high four hits on seven at-bats, adding an RBI and scoring a run.

Two innings later, Portland put two runs on the board. Portland designated hitter Paul Crowder and outfielder Bryant Kraus both scored on a Huskie throwing error, giving Portland a 2-1 edge.

The Huskies responded in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs. With the bases loaded, Matt Behren walked to score Jeff Thomas. Dave Reynolds singled to right field in the next at-bat, scoring Reed and Jordin Hood and advancing Behren to third. Tim Kamin pinch hit for Joey Buonavolanto and doubled to right field, scoring Behren.

Portland scored runs in consecutive innings. Catcher Rocky Gale had a solo home run in the seventh and Kraus hit a solo in the eighth. Later in the inning, Gale singled to right, scoring Danny Meier.

For the next seven innings, neither team managed to put a run on the board.

In the top of the 16th, Meier delivered a two-RBI double and Portland scored two more runs in the innings.

Marvin Sanchez led off the bottom of the 16th with a single for the Huskies. With one out, Stevens doubled to score Sanchez, but was left on base when Hood popped up to center.

Trevor Feeney started the game for the Huskies, going 7.1 innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs but received a no decision. Nick Badgley took the loss for NIU.

Huskies drop nightcap

The Huskies dropped the second game to Hawaii, 7-3.

The Warriors took a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning before NIU scored.

The Huskies responded with a three-run sixth inning. Jeff Thomas hit home Buonavolanto and Pat Minogue. Two batters later, Hood tripled to hit Anthony Maziur, pinch runner for Thomas, home.

But Hawaii had a three-run inning of its own with a Vinny Catricala RBI triple and two-run home run by Jeffrey Van Doornum.

Matt Jernstad took the loss for NIU in the second game. Jerstad struck out seven in 5.2 innnings of work.

Mathey said the team’s approach improved from the second game to the first. Mathey said the team tried pulling the ball too much against Portland but was more patient at the plate against Hawaii.

The Huskies come back to Illinois for a three-game series against Southern Illinois at Rent One Ballpark in Marion. The games are slated for a doubleheader Saturday that starts at 3 p.m. and a single game at 4 p.m. Sunday.