Final Stats

NIU-BGSU Box Scores

DeKALB - The NIU baseball team (13-13, 4-2 MAC) clinched the series over Bowling Green (6-15, 1-5 MAC) Saturday at Ralph McKinzie Field as the Huskies defeated the Falcons in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, 11-2. NIU dropped the second game of the doubleheader, 8-2.

The Huskies series clinching win in game one marked the first time since 2007 that NIU won its first two series of the season.

Brian Sisler (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) and Tony Brandner (Richfield, Wis./Hartford Union/Winthrop) both finished 4-for-8 on the day with six RBI and four RBI, respectively, with Sisler adding two doubles, three runs and a sacrifice fly. Dirk Ormsby (Ligonier, Ind./Kellogg Community College) picked up his fifth win of the season for the Huskies with his 7.0 inning, four strikeout performance.

Defensively, NIU turned five double plays, including three in game one.

"It was a good weekend overall. I was happy to see our guys play hard and focus the entire weekend. It was good to see us bust out of our offensive funk as the bats came alive in some key situations," said Head Coach Mike Kunigonis. "Our goal is to win every series and right now we are 2-0 in the MAC."

The Huskies will return to action Tuesday afternoon in a midweek tilt versus UW-Milwaukee. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m.

GAME ONE
Sisler accounted for five RBI and two runs in the game as he finished 2-for-5 at the plate, accounting for two runs driven in during the fifth and sixth innings and one more in the seventh.

NIU trailed after the third inning, 2-0, as Bowling Green scored twice in the frame on a double by Brandon Howard. The Huskies cut the deficit in half in the fourth with one run on a single by Brandner.

NIU took the lead in the fifth and put the pedal to metal as it scored five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take a 10-2 lead. Northern Illinois University added one more run in the sixth to cap the games scoring, 11-2.

NIU totaled 13 hits as four Huskies accounted for multiple hits in the game. Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) and Brandner led the Huskies with three hits in the game. Jumonville doubled twice and scored twice while Brandner drove home three runs. Jason Gasser (Dyer, Ind./Mt. Carmel) finished with two hits while scoring twice.

Ormsby allowed five hits in his seven inning outing while only walking one with two runs allowed. Donovin Sims (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) finished the game for NIU, tossing 2.0 innings with one strikeout.

GAME TWO
The Falcons and the Huskies closed the first inning deadlocked, 1-1, as NIU tied the contest on a sacrifice fly by Sisler as Gasser led the inning with a single to left field.

Seth Fuller (Moline, Ill./Black Hawk College), who tossed 4.2 innings on the bump for NIU, gave up one more run in the fifth as BGSU reclaimed the lead, 2-1. Fuller fanned three in the contest and only allowed three hits with one walk.

The Falcons would score five runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh on a solo home run to left field to take an 8-1 lead in the contest.

Brandner drove in the Huskies final run in the bottom of the ninth inning as NIU accounted for three hits in the frame, including one by Nate Ruzich (Joliet, Ill./South Suburban College), who extended his on-base streak to 24 straight games.