MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The NIU baseball team (15-35, 9-12 MAC) dropped their final non-conference game of the year 3-0 against UW-Milwaukee (22-30, 10-17 Horizon). This was the second time this season that the Huskies were shutout, both came against the Panthers.
 
"It was a tough day to hit and the difference in the game was one team played defense out of the game and the other didn't," Head Coach Mike Kunigonis said. "They manufactured runs off of our mistakes and we didn't capitalize on the limited opportunities we had."
 
All three of the runs scored in the game were scored in the first two innings off of NIU starter William Anderson. After scoring twice in the first inning, the Panthers' third run came after a pair of throwing errors, the first allowing the leadoff man to reach base with the second scoring the runner after a bounced throw ricocheted down the right field line with two outs.
 
Three Huskie freshmen pitchers pitched six scoreless innings out of the bullpen allowing only five hits combined. Nathan Thomas went three innings allowing three hits and striking out two, Blake Walker went two innings allowing one hit and striking out one and Eric Hammer went an inning allowing a hit.
 
"Our bullpen did a great job and shut down a very good offense," Kunigonis said. "It's always tough playing from behind early, we need to break that trend this weekend."
 
NIU will start their final series of the regular season on Thursday as they travel to Oxford, Ohio to face Miami (Ohio). The Huskies need at least one win to clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament starting next week.