Tofteland gets chance: BOOM! Record 11 RBIs for Sycamores

Dane Tofteland (Grande Prairie, Alta.) hit two grand slams on his way to a record setting 11 RBIs for Indiana State.

April 18, 2017
 
Tofteland’s School Record 11 RBIs Push Sycamores Past Northern Illinois, 17-8
 
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – It was a career day for Dane Tofteland as the redshirt sophomore broke the Indiana State baseball single-game RBI record after driving in 11 runs on a trio of home runs, including two grand slams as the Sycamores took down Northern Illinois, 17-8 Tuesday night at Bob Warn Field.
 
The record was set nine years ago in the season finale by Brady Shoemaker after he drove in 10 runs against Illinois State on May 17, 2008.
 
Coming into the contest, Tofteland had one RBI on the season and zero home runs in limited action. That changed in the second inning when he blasted a three-run shot to left to add to ISU’s lead after Cody Gardner his first home run of the season earlier in the inning.
 
The Huskies made it a game for a brief moment when they rallied to score six runs in the fourth to take the lead but Clay Dungan put a stop to their momentum in the bottom half of the inning when he singled in a run before the Sycamores tallied a six-spot in the fifth to blow the game open.
 
With the bases loaded in the fifth, Chris Ayers entered the game as a pinch hitter and drew a walk to push the tying run across before Tofteland connected on his second home run of the day, a grand slam to silence the Huskie dugout. The Sycamores were not done in the inning as CJ Huntley drew a bases loaded walk and Gardner recorded a sac fly RBI.
 
Senior Tony Rosselli drove in his 22nd RBI of the year in the sixth, on a double to left-center to score Ayers from first.
 
Tofteland, a Grande Prairie, Alberta native, put an exclamation on the game in the seventh with a drive straightaway center field for his second grand slam of the afternoon to capture the record.
 
As a team, the Sycamores tallied 17 hits on the day, seven of which went for extra bases while NIU had 11 hits on Sycamore pitching.
 
Evan Giles earned the win on the staff day for ISU, improving to 1-0 after tossing 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Tyler Grauer made his first start of the season, going 3.2 innings and striking out five.
 
Tofteland led the way with a 4-for-5 day, 11 RBI and four runs scored while Dungan added a 3-for-5 effort, including an RBI and double. Gardner added a pair of RBIs and two hits for the Trees.
 
The loss went to NIU’s Danny Hyde after the right-hander gave up five earned runs in the fifth off four hits.
 
The Sycamores return to the diamond Wednesday night as Big 10 foe Purdue comes to town. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET from Bob Warn Field. Brian Fritz will call the action on Sycamore All-Access while The Valley On ESPN will also air the game live.
 
   -- Tim McCaughan, Assistant Director of Media Relations, Indiana State University