DEKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team closes out its three-game series over a four-week span with the University of Illinois-Chicago Tuesday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field, starting at 3 p.m.

Tuesday's matchup will be the rubber game between the squads as UIC took the first game and NIU the second by a 5-1 score.

"We are looking forward to a great week with UIC and Trinity [Christian College] to help us prepare for our conference games with this weekend at Kent State," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said.

Sophomore RHP Blake Walker (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) will take the mound for the Huskies in his second start against UIC this season, and will be opposed by Flames' RHP Nick Oliff. In his last start at Curtis Granderson Stadium, Walker earned his second win of the year as he tossed five solid innings. He scattered four hits, and gave up only one run while striking out five batters.

While the series' opener belonged to the Flames despite NIU seizing an early 1-0 lead on a Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning March 14, NIU pounded out seven hits and took advantage of four UIC errors in the middle game March 27. After Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) scored on a throwing error in the first inning, NIU commanded a 3-0 lead on Scooter Bynum's (Fairbanks, Alaska /Arizona Western College) two-run home run in the frame.

UIC managed a run in the second inning, but NIU struck again in the fifth via a balk, allowing Joe Jumonville (Munster, Ind./Munster) to score. A Samuel Vega (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Southwestern Junior College) RBI single in the ninth then decided the final verdict as Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) came across on the play.

"Bragging rights with UIC are on the line for the next year," Kunigonis said. "So we'll be ready."

NIU is seeking its second win in the last four games as the Huskies rebounded for a 3-1 win over Western Michigan University to split a doubleheader Saturday, April 7. The Huskies connected for five hits and scored a pair of runs in the fifth on a Connor Montgomery (Newport Beach, Calif./Canyon) RBI double – the first of his career – and a Hunter Bross (Scottsdale, Ariz./Mesa Community College) RBI sacrifice fly. Dunham also smacked a solo home run in the sixth inning to polish off the victory.

--NIU--