Final Stats

UM 12, NIU 10 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The NIU baseball team (7-21) nearly overcame a nine-run deficit at Minnesota (16-10), sending the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth. However, the Huskies came up short as the Golden Gophers won the contest, 12-10. NIU amassed 10 hits and held U of M to three hits in the final five frames.

Tony Brandner (Colgate, Wis./Winthrop) finished 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles, knocking in a career-high five RBI. Tommy Hook (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) drove home two runs as he went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs. On the mound, Jon Savarise (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) tossed 2.0 scoreless innings while Joey Ceja (Ottawa, Ill./Heartland CC) and Danny Hyde (Chicago, Ill./Oakton CC) each hurled a scoreless frame.

“It’s tough to spot a team the runs we did early and expect to win. I thought Jon (Savarise) did a fantastic job of settling our staff down and keeping us in the game giving us a chance,” said Head Coach Mike Kunigonis. “I was happy that our guys battled to until the end. We never gave up and we had the tying run at the plate in the ninth and gave ourselves a chance. Offensively we swung well and had quality at bats. We need to use this offensive momentum and carry it with us into the weekend.”

Minnesota jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after the first inning, tallying six hits in the frame. It did not take long for the Huskies to respond as it scored two in the top of the second as Brandon Mallder (Bridgeview, Ill./St. Laurence) walked to lead off the inning and Stephen Letz (Dyer, Ind./South Suburban College) doubled to follow up. A groundout by Hook and Brandner's double would lift the Huskies within five at the middle of the second, 7-2.

The Gophers had another big inning in the bottom of the fourth, tallying four hits and four runs in the frame, led by Terrin Vavra’s two-run home run to right field to push the Golden Gophers lead to nine runs, 11-2.

Northern Illinois University would only spot Minnesota one more run, a homer by Ty McDevitt to left field, to close the Gophers scoring register. Savarise’s scoreless fourth and fifth innings set the tone for the bullpen, who allowed only three hits in the final five stanzas.

With momentum on their side, the Huskies recorded five runs in the fifth as Justin Fletcher (Pekin, Ill./Illinois Central College) and Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) led off with a double and a single, respectively.

Trailing 11-3 with the bases loaded and one out, Hook and Brandner singled to drive in two more runs. A call to the Golden Gophers bullpen would not stop NIU as it plated two more runs as Luke Yapp (Verona, Wis./Madison College) drew a bases loaded walk to score Letz, pushing Hook to third, allowing the junior to score on a wild pitch and bring the Huskies within four, 11-7.

NIU needed five runs to extend the game and nearly succeeded as it loaded the bases with two outs. Brandner would clear the bases with his second double of the day, shooting the ball to the gap in left centerfield and lifting NIU within two runs. Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter, acting as the tying run. However, the sophomore would strike out to end the game, 12-10.

NIU will return home Friday for a three-game series with Central Michigan at Ralph Mckenzie Field. Game one is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.