CONWAY, Ark. – Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) finished three for four with four RBI, Samuel Vega (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Southwestern Junior College) went three for five with a home run and two RBI and the Northern Illinois University baseball team earned a 9-4 win over Central Arkansas in the final game of a three-game set Sunday.

Along with Vega, Hunter Bross (Scottsdale, Ariz./Mesa Community College) connected for a solo homer in the fifth and laced a double as he finished a near perfect two for three at the dish with two RBI while freshman pitcher Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) earned his first collegiate win.

Lasiewicz worked six solid innings, striking out eight batters and walking only three as he yielded four hits and two earned runs.

"It was great to see Las get his first career win," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said. "He threw very well and our bullpen did its job and shut things down behind him."

NIU connected for a season-high 14 hits, including four extra base hits as they took two of three from the Bears (1-2) and are off to their best start since the 2015 season (3-0).

After three scoreless innings, NIU broke the game open in the fourth and fifth frames. Vega connected for his first home run in the fourth and the Huskies plated five runs in the fifth – highlighted by Bross' homer. Wood roped an RBI single up the middle, Vega and Jake Dunham added run-scoring singles and Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) drove in a run on a fielder's choice RBI. In all, the Huskies connected for six hits in the fifth.

"The offense came alive today which was very nice to see," Kunigonis said. "We did a great job finishing the weekend. The team really battled and it showed."

NIU led 7-0 – after another Wood RBI single in the sixth – before Central Arkansas fashioned a comeback with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. The Huskies wouldn't relent though as they responded with two more in the eighth – via a two-run single from Wood – to shut down the game and finish off the series.

The Huskies turned two double plays and used a combination of Lasiewicz, William Anderson (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East), Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Township), Matthew Hoffman (East Dubuque, Ill./Wahlert Catholic) and Mike Fuentes (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen) on the mound to mire Bears' hitters and hold UCA to only one extra base hit.

"I'm very excited for things to come with this group," Kunigonis said. "Right now we'll enjoy this series win and get back to work tomorrow."

NIU (2-1) resumes action this coming Friday-Sunday when it travels to Western Kentucky for four games starting at 3 p.m. Feb. 23.

-NIU-