WINTER HAVEN, FL – The NIU baseball team's bats came alive in a doubleheader scoring 15 runs on 20 hits, but late runs from the Boston College Eagles led to the Huskies being swept by scores of 11-10 and 8-5 at Chain of Lakes Park.
 
"We battled and fought hard today, but we didn't play clean baseball," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "Ultimately that was the difference in the two games. We were resilient and had opportunities late in each game to win them. We just need to handle our business."
 
NIU (0-3) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game one. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) put the Huskies on the board with a two-run double down the left field line in the top of the first. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) added an RBI single in the second. Boston College put up five runs in the bottom of the second inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Luke Gold. The Huskies tied the game 5-5 in the top of the third on a bases loaded walk by Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) and an RBI groundout from Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage).
 
Boston College (3-0) broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a Lucas Stalman sacrifice fly and a two-out run-scoring single by Dante Baldelli to take a 7-5 lead. Trailing 8-6 heading into the ninth, NIU rallied to take its first lead since the second inning. With two outs and a runner at first, Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill./Illinois Valley C.C.) singled through the left side of the infield. Dunham then drew a walk to load the bases. Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) made the score 8-7 with a walk of his own. Lonteen then cleared the bases with a triple to right field to give NIU a 10-8 lead.
 
Blake Walker (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) came in from the NIU bullpen to get the final three outs. The Eagles put the first two batters on base with a single and a double before Walker struck out Vince Cimini for the first out. Walker then walked Stalman to load the bases and walked Peter Burns to make the score 10-9. Boston College tied the game at 10 as Baldelli grounded into a fielder's choice to score Joe Suozzi. With two outs, Sal Frelick then delivered a walk-off single through the right side of the infield to give Boston College the 11-10 win.
 
Lonteen was 2-for-4 in the opener with four RBI. Dunham and Larson each had two RBI. Sophomore right-hander Brandon McPherson (Chicago, Ill./Wabash Valley College) pitched 4.2 innings in his NIU debut, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Parker Kirkpatrick (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence) struck out three in 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one unearned run on one hit.
 
NIU fell behind 1-0 after one inning in the nightcap, but took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) started the threat with a one-out single. Freshman catcher Jacob Schroeder (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) then reached on a throwing error by Boston College third baseman Cody Morissette, which allowed Peters to score all the way from first to tie the game 1-1 and got Schroeder all the way to third. Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) then put NIU ahead 2-1 with an RBI groundout to score Schroeder. The Eagles answered the Huskies' two runs with two of their own in the bottom of the second on an Aaron Soucy solo home run and a Brian Dempsey sacrifice fly to go up 3-2.
 
The Eagles led 5-3 going into the fifth inning. Huebbe led off the inning with a single and reached second base on a wild pitch. Dunham then blasted a two-run home run over the left field fence, NIU's first homer of the season, to tie the game at five. The Huskies had the bases loaded with two outs but could not take the lead. NIU left another two runners on base in the sixth, opening the door for Boston College to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Morissette delivered a two-out RBI single to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead. Boston College added another run in the seventh to go ahead 7-5.
 
The Huskies loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth on three straight walks by Huebbe, Dunham, and Szczasny. The Eagles brought in Brian McMonagle from the bullpen, who got Smith to fly out to right field to end the threat.  Boston College added an insurance run in the eighth to make the score 8-5.
 
Huebbe, Szczasny, Peters, and Rodriguez each had two hits in the second game of the twinbill. Dunham drew three of NIU's seven walks in the game.
 
"Our guys have had pretty good plans at the plate, and that approach showed in the runs we were able to score today," Kunigonis said.
 
The Huskies and Eagles wrap up their four-game series Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
 
--NIU--