COLUMBIA, MO – Senior catcher Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) Jake Dunham spotted the Northern Illinois University baseball team a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning against the Missouri Tigers at Taylor Stadium with his fourth home run of the season, but the Tigers scored six unanswered runs to win the first game of a midweek series 6-3.
 
"We got off to a great start scoring three in the first, but Missouri did a good job to quiet us down," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We had a few other opportunities but couldn't capitalize on them."
 
NIU (7-9) and Missouri traded three-run home runs in the first. The Huskies put its first two batters of the game on base as Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) drew a walk, followed by a single by Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.). After a fielder's choice for the first out, Dunham hit a home run over the left field fence off of Shane Wilhelm to give NIU a 3-0 lead. The Tigers responded in kind with Peter Zimmermann crushing a three-run homer over the left field fence with one out in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
 
Paul Turelli (Lake Forest, Ill./Heartland C.C.) settled in on the mound after allowing that game-tying home run. He struck out Cameron Swanger and got Jackson Lancaster to fly out to end the first, then struck out the side looking in the bottom of the second. Turelli struck out the first two Tiger batters in the third to give him seven for the game before getting Zimmermann to ground out to end the inning.
 
Missouri (9-5) broke the 3-3 tie in the bottom of the fifth. With runners at second and third and one out Mark Vierling hit a sacrifice fly off of NIU relief pitcher Blake Walker (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) that scored Austin James and gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead. Chad McDaniel then laced a single to centerfield to bring around Blake Jackson to score and put Missouri ahead 5-3.
 
The Huskies were held in check by Missouri reliever Art Joven, who struck out five NIU batters in four scoreless innings with no hits and no walks allowed. The Tigers tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh to give Missouri a 6-3 lead. Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill./Illinois Valley C.C.) reached base off Joven when he got to second on an error leading off the eighth inning. However, he was left stranded on third. Missouri gave the ball to closer Trey Dillard in the ninth, who worked around a leadoff single by Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) to get the save.
 
Smith was 2-for-4 in the game as the Huskies had five hits on the night. Turelli's seven strikeouts in three innings were a season-high. Walker allowed three runs, one earned, over four innings with two strikeouts.
 
"Overall our staff did a solid job tonight," Kunigonis said. "We made too many mistakes and against any good team, they're going to take advantage of them."
 
The two teams face off Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. CT.
 
--NIU--