CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University baseball team dropped the rubber game of its series at Southern Illinois Sunday, falling 8-6 at Itchy Jones Stadium to the Salukis.
 
"We worked all weekend and battled," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "The difference in us coming away with a series win was the little things. We need to be better at taking care of what we can control. If we can start to do that, this group will have a lot of success."
 
NIU (3-11) had an opportunity to get on the scoreboard first in the top of the second. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) led off with a walk, followed by a single from Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College). SIU starting pitcher Blake Begner then retired the side with two strikeouts to end the threat. The Salukis took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run double by Grey Epps.
 
SIU (8-5) put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the third off NIU starter Ty Jandrowski (Kenosha, Wis./Madison College). Philip Archer hit a run-scoring double with one out to make the score 3-0. Colin Butkiewicz followed with a two-run home run that gave SIU a 5-0 lead. The Huskies put up two runs with two outs in the top of the fifth. Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) started the rally with a single and a stolen base. Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) then laced a base hit to right field to bring in Rodriguez for NIU's first run. After Drobushevich stole second base, Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) hit a double to left center to bring in Drobushevich and make the score 5-2.
 
After SIU scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-2 lead, NIU closed within four in the top of the sixth. Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) hit a run-scoring single to left center to make the score 7-3. The Huskies started the top of the seventh with three straight walks by Joyce, Dunham, and Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North). With the bases loaded, Lonteen drew a walk to get NIU within three at 7-4. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) then hit into a double play, scoring Szczasny and moving Dunham to third with two outs. Dunham scored on a wild pitch by Corey Mitson to put NIU within one run at 7-6.
 
The Salukis tacked on an eventual insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on an Archer sacrifice fly, making the score 8-6. SIU closer Trey McDaniel came into the game in the ninth and struck out two to get the save.
 
Drobushevich, Joyce, Lonteen, and Larson each had a hit and an RBI in the series finale. Sophomore reliever Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Twp.) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing three hits with two strikeouts. Begner got win for SIU, allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts in five innings.
 
"We need to bounce back and get ready for a pair of tough midweek games," Kunigonis said.
 
NIU starts a two-game series at Kansas State on Tuesday, March 12 at 3 p.m.
 
--NIU--