ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The NIU baseball team (4-15) dropped both ends of Sunday's doubleheader against Michigan, game one 7-4 and game two 8-3. Offensive standouts for the Huskies were Jacob Dunham, who had four hits on the day, and Samuel Vega with three hits, two doubles in game two.
 
"We had a tough day today," Head Coach Mike Kunigonis said. "Game one was a heart breaking loss and it was an overall disappointing finish to the weekend."
 
In game one, the Huskies got another eight inning performance from junior right-hander Donovin Sims. After giving up two runs each in the second and third innings, Sims settled down and threw five-straight scoreless to keep NIU in the game.
 
NIU tied the game in the fifth inning with a combination of walks and hits to score four in the inning. Brad Wood and Tommy Hook drew back-to-back one-out walks followed by a single by Alec Barger and a two-RBI double by Roderick Bynum. Samuel Vega followed up to score Barger and Bynum on a single over the shortstop.
 
Matthew Hoffman came in to pitch for NIU in the ninth, getting one out before Kunigonis played the matchup game and went to lefty George Faue to turn switch-hitter Miles Lewis to a right-handed hitter. Lewis grounded a ball to third as the Huskies tried to turn a double play but Lewis was called safe at first on a bang-bang play.
 
Faue remained in the game to face the left-handed Drew Lugbauer who worked the count to full before hitting a high fly ball over the right field fence for a walk-off three-run home run.
 
"We were a few key plays away from walking out of here with more wins," Kunigonis said. "We have come a long way since February 17^th and need to continue to grow as a team."
 
The Wolverines got on top in the first inning of game two after loading the bases and Lewis beat out another potential double play ball. They would continue to hit the long ball as Lugbauer hit a solo shot to right center in the third and Harrison Wennson launched one over the left field wall for a no-doubt two-run home run in the fourth.
 
The Huskies tied the game at two in the fourth after a double by Vega, a single by Jacob Dunham, a fly ball to right by Tommy Szczasny that was dropped by the right fielder and an RBI ground out by Joe Jumonville.
 
Michigan also scored two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings off of NIU relief pitcher. In the fifth, Jacob Delabio came in for his second career appearance and Jon Savarise went two thirds of an inning in the sixth before Ryne Blanton finished the inning off.
 
The Huskies will return to action for a mid-week matchup at Notre Dame on Tuesday followed by their first conference series next weekend at Toledo.