NORMAL, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team scored first against the Illinois State Redbirds on Tuesday night at Duffy Bass Field, but could not hold off the Redbirds in a 10-2 loss.
 
"One tough inning allowed this game to get away from us," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We had some opportunities early to extend our lead but couldn't capitalize. We need to be better with those opportunities. We'll have a good day of practice tomorrow and get ready to head on the road to Miami."
 
NIU (12-28) got off to a fast start, scoring a run in the top of the first. Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) hit a one-out single to right field. Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) followed with his first triple of the season to right centerfield, scoring Joyce to make the score 1-0. Blake Walker (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) did his part to keep the Huskies in front. Making his first start on the mound this season, Walker retired six of the first seven Redbirds he faced with two strikeouts and a pickoff.
 
Illinois State (26-15) got on the board in the bottom of the third. Jack Butler led off with a double and scored on a double by Aidan Huggins that tied the game at one. John Rave then reached on an infield single. Lonteen ranged up the middle to get the ball, but his throw went wide of first base allowing Huggins to score and put the Redbirds up 2-1. Walker got out of the inning by getting Derek Parola to hit into a double play and getting Joe Aeilts to ground out.
 
The Redbirds' starting pitcher Brett Wicklund put the clamps on the NIU offense from there. After allowing a leadoff single to Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) in the fourth, Wicklund retired nine straight Huskies. Illinois State broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six runs highlighted by a two-run home run by Parola to take a 9-1 lead. The Redbirds tacked on another run in the seventh to go up 10-1. NIU put another run on the board in the eighth inning. Joyce led off the frame with a double and scored on a Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) RBI single that made the score 10-2.
 
Joyce was 2-for-3 in the game and scored both NIU runs. Walker allowed three runs on six hits in four innings, striking out two and walking two. Nate Thomas (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out a pair. Freshman Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) was 0-for-4, capping his hitting streak at 12 games.
 
The Huskies open a three-game series at Mid-American Conference leaders Miami on Friday, April 26 at 4 p.m. CT.
 
--NIU--