AVON, OHIO – Sophomore pitcher Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) pitched the Northern Illinois University baseball team's first complete game shutout in five seasons Wednesday night as the Huskies defeated the Miami RedHawks 4-0 at Sprenger Stadium in the opening round of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Baseball Championship.
 
"I just felt good and was in my spots," said Lasiewicz following his first career shutout. "My defense was backing me up too. It's amazing."
 
With the win, NIU (19-34) won its first game at the MAC Tournament since 2011. Lasiewicz became the first Huskie since Alex Klonowski on April 6, 2014 to throw a complete game shutout. The sophomore right-hander allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out eight RedHawks. It's his second career complete game with his first coming in a 2-1 win over Miami at Ralph McKinzie Field last season.
 
"A masterful performance, that's all I can say," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We've been waiting for that kind of performance from him all year. He pitched like a number-one tonight. Lasiewicz went out there and battled. It was fantastic."
 
The game started as a pitcher's duel between Lasiewicz and Miami's Shane Smith. Lasiewicz allowed a walk and a hit in the first three innings, striking out four RedHawks. Smith had a pair of strikeouts while retiring the first eight batters he faced before Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) drew a walk with two outs in the third.
 
NIU (18-34) got their first hit of the game in the top of the fourth when Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) laced a leadoff single to left field. After a Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) fielder's choice and a Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) strikeout, Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) kept the inning alive with a two-out walk. Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) loaded the bases when he reached base after a strikeout, with strike three getting away from Miami catcher Cal Elvers. Smith put an end to the Huskies' rally by getting Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) to foul out and keep the game scoreless.
 
Lasiewicz did his part to keep the game scoreless, allowing just one hit over the fourth and fifth innings. The Huskies gave their starting pitcher some run support in the sixth. Joyce was hit by a pitch to leadoff the frame, followed by a Szczasny single to centerfield. Lonteen moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Miami's Shane Smith then walked Dunham, but allowed Joyce to score as ball four got to the backstop to make the score 1-0. Drobushevich then put down a squeeze bunt up the first base line to score Szczasny and give NIU a 2-0 lead. Kam Smith made it a 3-0 game with an RBI single to centerfield, but he was thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a double and ended the inning.
 
"We're grinders and that's what we've been doing all year," Kunigonis said about NIU's big sixth inning. "We're not going to stop doing it. I told our guys last week we're equipped to win this thing. We just have to keep grinding it out."

Lasiewicz put Miami (36-18) away from there. He retired the last 13 batters he faced with three strikeouts. For good measure, NIU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth on a Dunham run-scoring double that made the score 4-0.
 
Dunham was 1-for-2 in the game with an RBI and two walks. Szczasny was 1-for-4 and scored twice.
 
The Huskies will take on second-seeded Ball State Wednesday night at 5 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
--NIU--