KALAMAZOO, MI – The Northern Illinois University baseball team dropped the opening game of its weekend series against the Western Michigan Broncos at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field Friday by a score of 9-4.
"It was a tough loss today," said head coach
Mike Kunigonis. "We loaded the bases in the eighth and the ninth but couldn't find a way to scratch a run. We have to a better job in those situations. One hit in the eighth makes this a completely different game in the ninth."
NIU (10-23, 6-4 MAC) opened the scoring in the second inning as
Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) led off the frame with his third home run of the season, putting the Huskies ahead 1-0.
Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) followed with a single, but was picked off at first following a strikeout.
Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) then struck out to end the NIU threat.
Western Michigan (10-20, 3-5 MAC) responded in the bottom half of the second. Sean O'Keefe led off with a single, then reached third on a one-out base hit by Logan Hudson. Ethan Hajdukovic then laced a double off of
Erik Hedmark (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown) to bring in O'Keefe and tie the game at one. Cooper Marshall put the Broncos ahead with a sacrifice fly, scoring Hudson to give Western Michigan a 2-1 lead.
The Huskies tied the game in the top of the third.
Josh Mutter (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) reached on an error to lead off the inning.
Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) then put down a sacrifice bunt to move Mutter to second base. With two outs,
Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) laced a single to left field to bring in Mutter and make the score 2-2. NIU took the lead back in the fourth when Larson ripped a double to left centerfield, scoring Drobushevich and
Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) to give the Huskies a 4-2 advantage.
Hedmark retired the side in order in the fourth, but the Broncos chipped away at the Huskies' lead in the fifth. Marshall led off with a bunt single and stole second base. After a Justin McIntyre flyout, Drew Devine drove in Marshall with a single to centerfield to make the score 4-3. Hedmark held Western Michigan to one run by getting Jesse Forestell to fly out to Mutter in centerfield and Blake Dunn to ground out.
The Broncos took the lead in the sixth, scoring five runs to go up 8-4. Marshall and Dunn both had two-run singles to put Western Michigan in front. NIU had a chance to tie the game in the top of the eighth. Drobushevich hit an infield single to lead off the inning. After a fielder's choice, Larson and Mutter hit back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Western Michigan reliever Will Muller got out of the jam by striking out pinch-hitter
Ty Jandrowski (Kenosha, Wis./Madison College) and getting
Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) to pop out to end the inning.
After the Broncos scored a run in the eighth to take a 9-4 lead, NIU made one last attempt to get back in the game in the ninth. Joyce led off with a double and got to third when
Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) reached on an error. Dunham loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Dane Ambrustmacher then came in from the Western Michigan bullpen and retired the side to give the Broncos the win.
Joyce and Drobushevich were each 3-for-5 in the game. Mutter was 3-for-4 as NIU pounded out 17 hits but left 12 runners on base. Hedmark allowed eight runs, four of which were earned, on 10 hits in 5.2 innings.
"Erik gave us a good go today, but the sixth inning got away from us and that was the difference in the game," Kunigonis said.
With inclement weather in the forecast for Sunday, the Huskies and Broncos will play a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch of game one is at 11 a.m. CT.
--NIU--
