CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Northern Illinois University baseball team wrapped up its weekend in the Mule Mix Classic with a pair of losses to the Austin Peay Governors Sunday at Raymond C. Hand Park. The Huskies dropped the opening game 15-3 in seven innings and the nightcap 8-3.
 
"Today was tough," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We came out a bit flat and Austin Peay took advantage of that. In game two, we came out with better energy but had one tough inning that got away from us and that proved to be the difference".
 
NIU (2-6) started game two with a two-out solo home run by Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North), his first of the season. Starting pitcher William Anderson (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East) worked around a hit and a walk in the first two innings to keep NIU ahead 1-0.
 
Austin Peay's (2-4) bats came alive in the bottom of the third. With two runners on base and two out, Garrett Spain laced a single to left centerfield to score Gino Avros and tie the game at one. Anderson then walked Aaron Campbell to load the bases. David Martinez cleared the bases with a three-run double to put the Governors ahead 4-1. After another walk, Bobby Head hit a three-run home run to right field to give Austin Peay a 7-1 lead.
 
The Governors tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead 8-1. The Huskies got a run back in the top of the seventh. Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) hit a double with two out. Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) then tripled to the left centerfield power alley to drive in Peters and make the score 8-2.
 
After Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Twp.) pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh, NIU scored another run in the eighth. Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) led off with a single, followed by a Sczcasny walk. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) then singled to right center, scoring Lonteen to make the score 8-3. Dunham got to second, and Sczcasny to third, on a throwing error. The rally ended there, as Austin Peay's Ross Walker retired the next three Huskies to end NIU's threat in the eighth.
 
Peters and Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) each had two hits in the nightcap. NIU's bullpen of Seebach and Tristan Michaels (Barrington, Ill./Triton College) held the Governors to one run on four hits, striking out seven in five innings.
 
NIU dropped game one of the doubleheader 15-3 in seven innings. The Huskies left 12 runners on base. Ty Jandrowski (Kenosha, Wis./Madison College) allowed seven runs, five of which were earned, in two-plus innings. Peters drove in his first two career RBI with a pinch-hit single in the top of the sixth.  
"We will continue to get better and bounce back this week with a good week of practice and get ready for a tough Kansas team."
 
The Huskies are back on the road March 1-3 for a three-game series at Kansas. The series opens on Friday, March 1 at 3 p.m.
 
--NIU--