Final Stats

MUR 17, NIU 4 

MURRAY, Ky. - NIU accounted for 18 runners on the base path Friday, totaling nine hits, eight walks and one hit batter, but the Huskies (0-5) couldn’t rally at Murray State (3-2) as the Racers won the first game of the four-game series, 17-4. Northern Illinois University stranded a season-high 14 runners on base, scoring the leadoff batter once in three attempts.

Justin Fletcher (Pekin, Ill./Illinois Central) reached base in all five plate appearances, recording three doubles and drawing two walks while Johnny Zubek (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) went 1-for-2 with two RBI and three walks. On the mound, junior Jon Savarise (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) tossed two scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts.

“Our team battled and overall I was proud of how we handled ourselves. We never gave up and for the most part, we played hard for 27 outs. We have to bounce back and be ready to play two tomorrow,” said Head Coach Mike Kunigonis.

Murray State scored in five of the first six innings with four multi-run innings, including a six-run inning in the fifth. The Racers took a 7-0 lead in the first two innings, however, starting pitcher Joe Hawks (Johnston, Iowa/Iowa Central) battled back in the next two innings as he blanked MSU in the third and only allowed one in the fourth.

“That was not the outing we were looking to get out of Joe today, but he will bounce back. He competes, he works hard during the week and he cares. Those innings he pitched today will make him successful down the road,” added Kunigonis.

Hawks tossed 3.2 innings for NIU, allowing six earned runs with three strikeouts with only one walk allowed.

The Huskies battled back in the top of the sixth inning, batting through the lineup and accounting for four runs to breathe life into the dugout.

Brian Sisler (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) led the frame with a walk and scored from second after back-to-back singles by Tommy Hook (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) and Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster).

With one out, junior Luke Yapp (Verona, Wis./Madison College) recorded his first NIU RBI, driving home Hook from third. With the bases loaded two batters later, Zubek got the green light and singled to the right centerfield on a 3-0 pitch to score Yapp and Stephen Letz (Dyer, Ind./South Suburban College), and push Fletcher to third.

Northern Illinois University finished the sixth inning with four runs on three hits and two walks.

On the mound in relief, Savarise stifled the Racers as he fanned two batters in the seventh and again in the eighth inning to total four strikeouts, a new career-high for the junior. On the same field he earned his first career save on March 13, 2013, the Lincolnshire, Ill., native tossed 17 strikes in his 26 pitches hurled.

The Huskies and the Racers will return to the Reagan Field diamond tomorrow for a doubleheader, slated to start at noon central. The games will be streamed live on the OVC Digital Network.