CHICAGO, Ill. – The NIU baseball team won their first game of the season as they beat Chicago State 4-0 in seven innings. The game was only seven innings because prior to the make-up game, the two teams finished Sunday's game from Arizona that was suspended after eight innings due to rain, which the Cougars won in the 12^th inning.
 
"The first one is always the toughest but our guys battled and grinded out this win," Head Coach Mike Kunigonis said. "We did a good job bouncing back from game one's heartbreaking loss."
 
The Huskies' shutout victory came behind the arms of freshman starter Nathan Thomas and senior relievers Aaron Rumfield and Ryne Blanton. Thomas went four innings in his first collegiate start, striking out five hitters, giving up four hits and walking two. Rumfield and Blanton gave up only one hit in their three innings combined with Rumfield pitching two innings and Blanton closing out the seventh.
 
"Nate was fantastic picking up his first career win," Kunigonis said. "Rumfield and Blanton finished the game strong for us keeping the shutout in tact."
 
NIU got on the board in the third inning when redshirt senior Tommy Hook led off by launching a ball over the left field wall for a solo home run. NIU's first home run of the season was also Hook's first of his NIU career.
 
The Huskies also got two RBIs from Brad Wood, who came off the bench in the sixth and knocked a single into left and later drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the seventh. Roderick Bynum added an RBI as he drove a single into left in the seventh.
 
"In the continuation, we had our opportunities but we couldn't capitalize on them in the front end," Kunigonis said. "Game two, we saw a few clutch hits and we needed those dearly."
 
NIU will head out to Norman, Oklahoma tomorrow morning to play Boston College on Friday, Oklahoma on Saturday and Villanova on Sunday.