DEKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team used a five-run fifth inning on Friday to defeat the Bowling Green Falcons 7-5 at Ralph McKinzie Field, setting up a rubber game in the final weekend series of the regular season Saturday.
 
"We did a good job grinding through at-bats and had a big inning that solidified the game," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "The back end of our bullpen was fantastic. Nate Thomas did a great job closing the game."
 
Bowling Green (16-33, 8-18 MAC) broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the fourth. Brad Croy led off the inning with a double to left center. Neil Lambert followed with a double of his own to drive in Croy and give the Falcons a 3-2 lead. Lambert stole third base with Dylan Dohanos at bat. Ryan Anderson (Palatine, Ill./McHenry C.C.) struck out Dohanos for the first out. Jeff Scott then grounded out to Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) at shortstop, bringing in Lambert to make the score 4-2.
 
NIU (18-34, 14-12 MAC) came back in the bottom of the fifth. The rally started when Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) was hit by a Tyler Hays pitch with one out. Joyce then got to second on a passed ball. After Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) struck out for the second out, Lonteen laced a single to centerfield to score Joyce and make the score 4-3. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) then got hit by a pitch to give NIU runners at first and second. Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) tied the game at four with an RBI single to left field, driving in Lonteen.
 
Bowling Green then went to the bullpen for reliever Will MacLean. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) crushed the first pitch from MacLean over the left field fence for a three-run home run, giving the Huskies a 7-4 lead. 
 
"Coach gave me the green light on the first pitch and I just tried to put my best swing on it," said Smith about his go-ahead home run. "We felt once we got into their bullpen that we could get some good swings. I just wanted to keep the line moving with two outs."
 
The Falcons got a run back in the top of the sixth when Lambert stole home with two outs to make the score 7-5. That would be Bowling Green's last run of the game. Junior reliever Nate Thomas (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) threw three scoreless innings to close the game for his fifth save, allowing just two hits and a walk with three strikeouts to give NIU the win and a split of the first two games of the series.
 
Lonteen and Drobushevich each had two hits and an RBI in the game. Drobushevich and Joyce both had two runs scored. Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Twp.) earned the win in relief, pitching the fifth and sixth innings allowing one run on two hits.
 
NIU closes the regular season with the final game of this weekend's series against Bowling Green at 12 p.m. Saturday. Prior to the game, NIU will honor the three seniors on this season's team, William Anderson, Ty Jandrowski, and Josh Mutter for Senior Day.
 
--NIU--