DEKALB, IL – Led by a pair of run-scoring hits from both Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) and Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North), the Northern Illinois University baseball team continued its hot streak at Ralph McKinzie Field with a 10-7 victory over visiting Valparaiso University Tuesday afternoon.

Smith laced an RBI single and a two-run double, while Dunham connected for two RBI singles as the Huskies pounded out 14 hits, and earned their seventh win in the last eight games at home in improving to 16-28 overall.

"Great job today battling for a win," Huskies' head coach Mike Kunigonis said. "Multiple guys with multiple hits and RBIs on the offensive side were great to see."

Senior LHP George Faue (Corcoan, Minn./Iowa Central) picked up his first win of the season as he recorded his longest outing of the season since the start of the campaign. Faue worked six innings of four-hit shutout baseball and struck out five batters while walking one.

"It was nice to see George get paid off with a win after a great start," Kunigonis said.

The Huskies were on cruise control after plating a pair of runs in both the first and fifth innings, and six more in the sixth for a 10-0 lead, but Valparaiso made a fierce comeback in the later stages as it pushed seven runs across in the eighth inning before the Huskies finally ended the two-out rally with a groundout to third base.

Samuel Vega (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Southwestern Junior College) gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the first when he scored on a wild pitch. After Smith then ripped his first run-scoring hit for a 2-0 lead in the frame, Dunham connected for an RBI single in the fifth and Connor Montgomery (Newport Beach, Calif./Canyon) laced an RBI double to left for a 4-0 Huskies' lead.

Smith highlighted NIU's offensive barrage in the sixth with a two-run double to left field after Vega, Szczasny and Dunham each had run-scoring singles.

Szczasny led the offense with three hits and three runs scored, while Dunham, Smith, Montgomery and Scooter Bynum (Fairbanks, Alaska /Arizona Western College) each had two hits.

"We need to be ready to run it back tomorrow for another rivalry game," Kunigonis said.

The Huskies resume action when they host Illinois State University for a 3 p.m. contest. Senior RHP Donovin Sims (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) will take the mound as he seeks his third win.

--NIU--