DEKALB, IL – The largest home crowd to date of the 2018 season saw the Northern Illinois University baseball team extend its home winning streak to three games with a 5-2 win over Miami (Ohio) University in the first of a three-game set Friday afternoon.

A total of 425 fans rocked Ralph McKinzie Field and cheered on the Huskies as they pounded out eight hits, and earned their third-straight win over the RedHawks dating back to last season.

"It was great to see the bats get going against (Spencer Mraz) who had a sub 2.00 earned run average," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said. "This will definitely give us confidence the rest of the weekend."

Senior Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) put NIU in front for good when he ripped a two-run double down the right field line as part of a four-run fourth inning. Prior to his offense, Huskie hitters Hunter Bross (Scottsdale, Ariz./Mesa Community College) and Tommy Washington (Chicago, Ill./Harlan) tied the game by getting hit by a pitch each with the bases loaded. Senior Scooter Bynum (Fairbanks, Alaska /Arizona Western College) then capped off the win with a solo home run – his second of the season – in the fifth inning.

"Clutch hitting by both those guys," Kunigonis said.

Miami (OH) staked a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth when they plated runs on a pair of Huskie errors, but starting pitcher Tanner Foster (St. Charles, Iowa/Southeastern Community College) wasn't rattled as he didn't give up an extra base hit in six innings of work. The hard-throwing right-hander also fanned seven batters to up his season total to 56 as he improved his overall record to 2-4. Sophomore Nate Thomas (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) came on in relief of Foster and retired the first six batters he faced before Andrew Frankenreider (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) closed out the ninth inning and nailed down his fourth save, and his 16th overall as he moved into fifth place on the all-time saves list.

Wood, Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) each had two hits for the Huskies, while Bynum and Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) had one apiece.

NIU, which improved to 12-24 overall and 4-9 in the MAC, resumes its three-game set the RedHawks tomorrow afternoon with a 1 p.m. single game.

--NIU--