BLOOMINGTON, IN – Timely hitting and solid defensive play put the Northern Illinois University baseball team in position to earn an upset win over No. 14 nationally-ranked Indiana University Sunday, but the Huskies just came up short in close 4-3 battle at Bart Kaufman Field.

NIU fell behind 3-0 through six innings, but exploded for three runs in the eighth to tie the score. Back-to-back doubles from Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) and Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) put NIU on the board, and a Samuel Vega (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Southwestern Junior College) triple – his second of the season – closed the gap to 3-2. After the next two batters went down in order, Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) then came up with his only hit of the game, a single to center field, plating Vega.

"Tommy came up huge with a big two-out hit when we needed him the most," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said. "This was an all-around great team effort. We played the last 18 innings with the No. 14 team in the country and we were one hit, or one play away from winning both games."

Huskies' starting pitcher Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) kept the Hoosier hitters off balance for the first four innings as he gave up only one extra base hit, but Indiana broke through in the fifth inning with an RBI double. Two more came across in the sixth inning via a pair of run-scoring singles, and the Hoosiers won the game in walk-off fashion on an RBI single down the right field line with two outs in the frame.

"Mike was back to his form today and gave us more than a chance to win," Kunigonis said. "As I alluded to yesterday, this is the team we have been waiting to show up and put the Huskie uniform on for us. Great effort."

Jumonville led NIU's offense with a pair of hits, while Wood, Vega, Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North), Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School), Szczasny, Tommy Washington (Chicago, Ill./Harlan) and Hunter Bross (Scottsdale, Ariz./Mesa Community College) each had a hit. Szczasny also extended his hit streak to five games. NIU moved to 4-13 on the year. 

"We have to have a good week of practice and play well against Notre Dame," Kunigonis said, "so we're ready for conference play next weekend."

NIU travels to South Bend, Indiana for a single game with the Fighting Irish Wednesday evening at 5:05 CST.  

--NIU--