CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – The Northern Illinois University baseball team wrapped up its series against the Southeast Missouri Redhawks with an 11-5 win at Capaha Field to win three out of four games this weekend.
"Today was a great character win," said head coach
Mike Kunigonis. "To bounce back after a such a tough loss yesterday showed grit and mental toughness. Over the last two weekends, we have shown we can hit with anyone."
NIU (4-4) got off to a fast start Sunday as the first five batters reached base.
Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) drew a lead-off walk, followed by a double from
Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.) that drove in Joyce to make the score 1-0.
Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill./Illinois Valley C.C.) then laced a double down the right field line to bring in Barnes for a 2-0 Huskies lead.
Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and
Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) followed the back-to-back doubles with back-to-back walks to load the bases, prompting a SEMO pitching change. Bryan McNeely came in the game and got a double play, which scored Huebbe to give NIU a 3-0 lead.
SEMO (2-6) got a run back in the bottom of the first on a Justin Dirden solo home run. After a scoreless second, the Redhawks took the lead in the bottom of the third. Danny Wright started the rally with a double down the left field line. He then stole third and scored on a Tyler Wilber single that put the score at 3-2. Dirden put SEMO ahead with a two-run home run over the right field fence to give the Redhawks a 4-3 lead.
The Huskies took the lead right back in the top of the fourth.
Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) led off the inning with a single.
Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) then reached base after being hit by a pitch.
Alex Rodriguez (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy) hit into a fielder's choice to give NIU runners at the corners with one out. With Joyce at the plate, an errant throw from SEMO catcher Wade Stauss allowed Szczasny to score to tie the game at four and Rodriguez to reach second base. Joyce then reached base on an error by third baseman Peyton Leeper, which Rodriguez scored on to give NIU a 5-4 lead.
NIU starting pitcher
Erik Hedmark (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown) kept the Huskies in front, getting a double play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth to get out of the inning. The Huskies tacked on to their lead in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Szczasny reached on an error that scored Dunham and made the score 6-4. Smith followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to put NIU ahead 7-4.
Paul Turelli (Lake Forest, Ill./Heartland C.C.) came in from the bullpen and made that lead hold up. The junior allowed just one run on two hits in the final four innings with six strikeouts. Just as they had started the game, the Huskies put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth with four runs. Dunham put the exclamation point on NIU's series win with a two-run double to make the score 11-5.
NIU's top of the batting order, Joyce, Barnes, Huebbe, and Dunham were a combined 9-for-20 with seven RBI. Joyce and Huebbe each were 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI. Hedmark earned the win on the mound to move to 2-0 on the year, scattering nine hits over five innings and allowing four runs.
"Hedmark battled and gave us a chance to win," Kunigonis said. "Paul was awesome behind him to lock up the victory."
The Huskies take on the Omaha Mavericks and Chicago State Cougars for four games next weekend at Rent One Park in Marion, Ill. NIU will take on Chicago State at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 28 followed by a 2:30 p.m. game that day against Omaha.
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