Final Stats

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - NIU baseball (3-0) completed its first opening weekend sweep for the program since 2001 on Sunday, rallying back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat South Dakota State, 9-6. The Huskies recorded a weekend best 15 hits in the game.

Jason Gasser (Dyer, Ind./Mt. Carmel) and Nate Ruzich (Joliet, Ill./South Suburban College) finished the game with three RBI as Gasser hit a three-run double and Ruzich hit a game-tying home run in the fourth inning. Johnny Zubek (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) drove home two runs in the game.

Freshman Kevin Jones (Chesterton, Ind./Portage) picked up the victory in relief, tossing 1.2 innings. Making his first career appearance, the freshman struck out two and allowed only one hit.

"It was a tremendous job by our entire team this weekend. We battled in some very tough conditions today but our guys never gave up. You have to learn how to win tight games and play from behind and we did both today," said Head Coach Mike Kunigonis.

"Offensively we grinded it out again. It was impressive to see us score 34 runs this weekend with temperatures below freezing all weekend. On the mound we battled and showed our toughness. Our pitching staff really impressed me this weekend with their determination and poise," Kunigonis added.

The Jackrabbits jumped on the board first as they scored in the second frame off starting pitcher Ryan Olson (Sterling, Ill./Newman Central Catholic). SDSU would tack on two more runs from Olson, scoring in the third and fourth innings. Two of Olson's three runs were earned in the ball game. He fanned two batters while only walking one in 4.1 innings of work. He surrendered six hits.

NIU landed a counterpunch on the Jacks in the bottom of the fourth inning as Micah McCulloch (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Township) and Stephen Letz (Dyer, Ind./South Suburban College) both reached base with one out.

Ruzich, who's missed the last 18-months with the Huskies recovering from injury, stepped up to the plate with two outs for NIU. On a 1-1 pitch, the senior pulled the ball over the left field fence to tie the game with a three-run blast, his first hit of the season.

Things heated up in the sixth inning as South Dakota State scored one run in the top of the frame as it loaded the bases and scored a run on a wild pitch by Jones to reclaim the lead, 4-3.

NIU again countered as McCulloch was hit by a pitch and Letz singled through the left side. Freshman Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Bonaventure) loaded the bases with a single, followed by Ruzich's run scoring error that scratched McCulloch home. Zubek's sacrifice fly scored Letz from third as the Huskies jumped back on top of the Jacks, 5-4.

The Huskies extended their lead in the eighth inning as it dinged SDSU for four more runs as Zubek singled and Gasser cleared the bases with a double to increase NIU's lead, 9-4.

The Jacks attempted a rally in the top of the ninth, scoring two more runs but sophomore Andrew Frankenreider (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) finished the inning strong with a strikeout and groundout to clinch the NIU weekend sweep.

Five Huskies accounted for two hits in the game, including freshman Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) who made his first career start in left field. Letz, Ruzich, Justin Fletcher (Pekin, Ill./Illinois Central) and Brian Sisler (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) also had two hits.

NIU will return to action next weekend with a four-game series at Texas Tech. The Brooks Wallace Memorial Series will begin Friday at 2 p.m. Central.

GAME NOTES:
The weekend sweep was NIU's first since 2001, when the Huskies swept UT Martin ... Brian Sisler extended his hitting streak to 19-games, tying Jamison Wells (2010-13) for the third-longest streak in program history; Sisler hit .571 during the weekend (8-for-14) ... Micah McCulloch ended the day 1-for-2 with a double and two runs; he finished the weekend with an NIU best .615 on-base percentage three hits, three hit by pitches and two walks.