KENT, OH – A combined 18 hits, including a grand slam in Game 1, led host Kent State to a doubleheader sweep over the Northern Illinois University baseball team by scores of 7-1 and 7-2 Friday afternoon at Schoonover Field.

The Golden Flashes moved their overall record to 21-10 and 8-3 in the Mid-American Conference with the twin bill win, while NIU fell to 11-22 and 3-8.

"Disappointing day today," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said. "Unfortunately we were on the other side of some 50/50 calls, but that's the way the ball bounces sometimes."

Kent State posted a 3-0 lead in the first game before the Huskies plated their lone run – an RBI double from Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North), allowing Samuel Vega (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Southwestern Junior College) to score. KSU then decided the final verdict with a grand slam in the seventh.

Despite a solid start on the mound, junior RHP Tanner Foster (St. Charles, Iowa/Southeastern Community College) suffered his fourth loss of the season. He worked six strong innings and gave up one earned run while striking out a season-high 10 batters. Szczasny, Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) and Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) each had a hit for the Huskies.

In Game 2, NIU fell behind 1-0 early, but quickly tied things up at 1-1 in the third inning when Szczasny drove in Vega on an RBI sacrifice fly to left field. The Huskies did push one more run across in the fifth on Szczasny's RBI single up the middle, but that was after Kent State scored four in the fourth inning. They later added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings.

Freshman RHP Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill.McHenry) suffered the loss despite fanning three batters in five innings of work. Vega, Szczasny, Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) and Scooter Bynum (Fairbanks, Alaska /Arizona Western College) each had two hits to lead the offense.

"We need to get a good night's rest and be ready to play tomorrow," Kunigonis said.

NIU closes out the three-game series with a single game at 12 noon.

--NIU--