TOLEDO, Ohio – The NIU baseball team (7-16, 3-0 MAC) won the final game of their three-game series against Toledo to clinch a series sweep and start Mid-American Conference play 3-0.
 
"This was a tremendous start to MAC play," Head Coach Mike Kunigonis said. "We showed up and played a complete 27-plus innings this weekend."
 
Huskies got another quality start from junior Donovin Sims who went six innings allowing two earned runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Sims now moves to 3-0 on the season for NIU, lowing his ERA to 3.16.
 
Big hits on the day came from a pair of bases clearing doubles by Mike Roberson and Brad Wood. Roberson stepped to the plate in the third with NIU up 1-0, the bases loaded and two outs to rope a double to left the score three. Wood's double came as insurance in the ninth, also with two outs after NIU extended their lead to 6-3, he laced his double into the left field corner to clear the bags.
 
Out of the bullpen, Aaron Rumfield and George Faue combined for the last three innings of the game with Rumfield going one and two thirds innings allowing one run and Faue finishing the game with an inning and a third to earn his first save as a Huskie.
 
"We had great performances on the mound, at the plate and in the field all weekend and that's the key to success," Kunigonis said.
 
Along with Wood's two hits, NIU got multi-hit games from Samuel Vega who singled twice, Carl Russell added two singles and Jacob Dunham went 4-4 a day after he went 3-4 to bump his season average to a team leading .442.  
 
"We will enjoy this win for the day on the bus ride back home and get back to work tomorrow," Kunigonis said.
 
NIU will have a midweek game at UIC this Tuesday before their first home game at Ralph McKinzie Field against Bowling Green on Friday. This week's schedule is subject to change due to weather, changes will be announced on Twitter @NIU_Baseball and at niuhuskies.com.