GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The Northern Illinois University baseball team was held to three runs and 11 hits Friday as the Kansas Jayhawks won both games of a doubleheader at AirHogs Stadium. The Jayhawks won game one 8-1 and the nightcap 7-2.
 
"We battled against a good Kansas team today," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "They threw some quality arms at us and we had some really good at-bats. We just couldn't get the big hit when we needed it."
 
Game one started out as a pitcher's duel between Kansas' Ryan Zeferjahn and NIU's Erik Hedmark (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown). The Jayhawks struck first with a two-out RBI double by Nolan Metcalf in the bottom of the second. Kansas then added another run in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring single by Brett Vosik to take a 2-0 lead.
 
NIU (2-8) had multiple chances to get on the board in the early innings, leaving a runner on third in both the second and third innings. The Huskies had the bases loaded in the top of the fourth with one out, only to see Zeferjahn strike out Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) and Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) to erase the NIU threat. NIU put a run on the board in the top of the fifth. Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) drew a leadoff walk and stole second base with one out. After Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) struck out, Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) laced a double to right field to score Joyce and make the score 2-1.
 
Kansas (7-3) added a run in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead on a two-out RBI double by Skyler Messinger. Jayhawks reliever Blake Goldsberry entered the game in the sixth and shut down the Huskies, retiring all 12 NIU batters he faced. Kansas tacked on four more runs in the seventh and one in the eighth inning for the 8-1 win.
 
Hedmark allowed three runs on five hits in five innings, striking out four Jayhawks with five walks. Dunham was 2-for-3 in game one with two doubles as the combination of Zeferjahn and Goldsberry held NIU to three hits in the opener. 
 
"We had our opportunities, but left seven runners on base," Kunigonis said about game one. "We were one hit away with the bases loaded from having that game be different. We just have to continue to battle and grind out at-bats and good things are going to happen. Erik threw really well. He battled for us and kept us in it."
 
The Jayhawks got out to a 2-0 lead in game two. With runners at first and second with two outs, Vosik hit a single to left off of NIU starting pitcher Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) to bring in the game's first run. Messinger followed with a run-scoring single of his own. Lasiewicz struck out B Sems to end the inning, holding Kansas to two runs.
 
Kansas manufactured another run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Messinger. The Jayhawks took advantage of two NIU errors in the fourth inning, scoring three unearned runs to take a 7-0 lead. NIU's had a chance to get on the board came in the top of the sixth. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) and Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) hit back-to-back singles with two outs. The duo then advanced on a wild pitch from Ryan Cyr to move into scoring position. However, Cyr got Peters to fly out to left field to stifle the NIU scoring threat.
 
NIU got on the board in the top of the eighth on a bases loaded walk by Peters. In the top of the ninth, the Huskies' loaded the bases with no outs on a Joyce single and back-to-back walks by Drobushevich and Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College). Szczasny drew a walk to score Joyce and make the score 7-2. Kansas then went to closer Jonah Ulane who struck out the side to end the ballgame.
 
Rodriguez was 3-for-4 in the nightcap. Lasiewicz allowed six runs, four of which were earned, on four hits in four innings with six walks and three strikeouts. Parker Kirkpatrick (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence) allowed one run with four strikeouts in two innings of relief.
 
"We're continuing to learn how to win against really good opponents," said Kunigonis. "We're really close to busting through and seeing a lot of positives. Alex had a great day today. He's been waiting patiently for his opportunity, and when he got it today he took full advantage of it."
 
The two teams will wrap up their weekend series on Saturday, instead of the previously-scheduled Sunday, at 11 a.m. at the Melissa Sports Complex in Melissa, Texas due to the threat of inclement weather late Saturday afternoon into Sunday.
 
--NIU--