SOUTH BEND, IN – The Northern Illinois University baseball team ends its 19-game road trip Tuesday night with a single game against the University of Notre Dame.

NIU hopes to snap its season-long eight-game losing streak after the Huskies fell in a three-game series at No. 14 nationally-ranked Indiana University March 16-18.

After an 18-0 setback in the opener, twice NIU put itself in position to take two of three from the Hoosiers as it had comebacks of 2-1 and 3-0, but Indiana responded with walk-off wins to extend their win streak to six games.

"This was an all-around great team effort," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said after the series. "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."

Sophomore Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) led the Huskies offense as he finished the weekend with a .400 batting average, including a double and an RBI. Senior Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) also added three hits, and senior Samuel Vega (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Southwestern Junior College) connected for his second triple of the season. Jumonville currently leads the team with a .302 batting average with two doubles, while Vega has a pair of doubles, triples and home runs for a team-best 31 total bases.

Defensively, the Huskies upped their season double play total to 18 as they tied a season-high by turning three twin-killings in the opener March 16. NIU also extended its errorless streak to 32 innings dating back to its single game with the University of Illinois-Chicago March 14.

Sophomore right-hander Blake Walker (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) will take the mound for his first start this season (third of his career), and will opposite sophomore Zack Martin for the Fighting Irish. In three innings of relief, Walker has not yielded an extra base hit and has fanned four batters.

--NIU--