Final Stats

NIU 4, BU 1 

NASHVILLE - With strong pitching and gritty defense on its side, the NIU baseball team (2-10) won its series opening game at Belmont (6-7) Friday at E.S. Rose Park, 4-1. The Huskies amassed 13 hits in the game as Brian Sisler (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) and Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) both went 4-for-5 at the plate with a run to drive the NIU offense.

Sisler added two RBI singles in the contest to pace the offense while freshman William Anderson (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East) tossed 6.0 innings to pick up his first collegiate win, fanning two batters to improve to 1-1 on the year. Ryne Blanton (Spring Grove, Ill./Madison College) tossed 3.0 innings in relief, fanning four as he notched his first NIU save.

"We did a great job tonight to grind through and pick up the win," said Head Coach Mike Kunigonis. "Will was great tonight and battled to give us the chance to win and Ryne was very good for as well for his second-straight outing. Offensively we did a good job of playing Huskieball and taking care of business. We will enjoy this one for a few hours and then get ready to come back tomorrow to battle to win a series."

For the fourth time in their last six games, the Huskies scored in the first inning as Sisler singled down the right field line to score Wood from second.

After a scoreless second, NIU scored two more runs in the third and tallied four more hits on the Bruins ace Aaron Quillen, who had entered the game with a WHIP of 0.90 and an ERA of 2.25. The junior allowed 12 hits in the game after entering the game with 12 on the season.

Johnny Zubek (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest), who reached first on a fielder's choice, stole second and scored from second as Sisler singled up the middle to score the NIU catcher from second. Tommy Hook (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) followed up with a single to push Sisler to third, allowing Carl Russell to put NIU on top, 3-0, on a single up the middle.

The Huskie defense worked hard behind Anderson as it turned two double plays in the first three innings. In the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, Johnny Bench Award watch lister Johnny Zubek threw out a runner trying to steal second, including a swing and fling double play as Anderson struck Rafael Bournigal out in the fifth frame.

Anderson, who notched the first win of his NIU career, retired the side in order three times, struck out two batters and only two walks allowed. Of his 18 recorded outs in the game, the Columbus, Ind., native only allowed two pop outs.

NIU loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh as Fletcher, Wood and Zubek all singled. Zubek attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt but reached base safely via single.

Quillen responded with back-to-back strikeouts but pinch-hitter Brandon Mallder (Bridgeview, Ill./St. Laurence) walked to scratch another run across for NIU to put its lead back up to three, 4-1. The Bruins pitcher tossed 128 pitches with an impressive 90 strikes.

Blanton entered in the seventh and retired the Bruins in order in the eighth. In the final inning, the junior fanned two batters to end the game and secure the NIU victory.

Woods' four hit game was the third of his career, last recording the feat at Murray State on Feb. 27, 2016.

The Huskies and the Bruins will return to the diamond tomorrow at 1 p.m., to resume the series.