WINTER HAVEN, FL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team earned its first win of the 2020 season Sunday with a 12-3 win over the Boston College Eagles at Chain Of Lakes Park.
 
"I'm extremely proud of our guys to bounce back and get the win today," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We showed toughness and resilience all weekend. Yesterday was a tough day. We lost two games we could have won and these guys didn't allow a letdown to affect them today. It showed some great mental toughness."
 
The win marked NIU's third victory ever against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. Senior first baseman Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) was 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and four runs scored. Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) was 2-for-3 with a game-high three RBI. Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) also was 2-for-3 and scored four runs.
 
"Jordan had a really good approach at the plate today," Kunigonis said. "He really stayed within himself and had a great day. Alex had a big two-out hit for us today as well. That's what ends up winning games. We scored three runs on two-out hits which is great."
 
Boston College (3-1) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first on an RBI groundout from Joe Suozzi. The Huskies got that run back in the top of the second as Rodriguez delivered a two-out run-scoring single to score Larson from second base. NIU then took the lead in the top of the third. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) led off with a double, followed by a double from Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) to score Dunham and put the Huskies up 2-1. After a Lonteen walk, Larson loaded the bases with a bunt single up the third base line. With one out, Rodriguez drew a walk to score Szczasny and make the score 3-1.
 
NIU (1-3) put the pressure on Boston College to get out of the inning. After a strikeout for the second out, Eagles catcher Peter Burns threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt allowing Lonteen to score and Larson and Rodriguez to advance 90 feet. Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.) drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases and chase Eagles starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan from the game. Reliever Michael Marzonie came in the game and promptly threw a wild pitch that allowed Larson to score and give the Huskies a 5-1 lead.
 
The Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the third to make the score 5-2, but that would be the last run Boston College scored off of NIU starting pitcher Erik Hedmark (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown). Hedmark allowed just two runs on four hits in six innings, walking two while striking out four. The Huskies gave Hedmark all the run support he needed with a run in both the fourth and the fifth to go up 7-2.
 
"Erik threw a ton of strikes and that's the key to the weekend," said Kunigonis. "He pounded the zone and put the defense in a good rhythm and the next thing you know, everyone's playing well. It was the start we needed out of him and he did a fantastic job."
 
NIU put the game away in the sixth, scoring three runs to take a 10-2 lead. Lonteen and Larson led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to make the score 8-2.  After a one-out walk by Rodriguez, Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) and Barnes hit consecutive RBI singles to make the score 10-2.  The Huskies tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh to cap a stretch of seven unanswered runs that put NIU ahead 12-2.
 
Next weekend NIU heads to Southeast Missouri State for a four-game series against the RedHawks, starting Friday, February 21 at 3 p.m.
 
--NIU--