EDINBURG, TX – The Northern Illinois University baseball team opened it's four-game weekend series against the UTRGV Vaqueros Friday afternoon with an 11-1 loss at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
NIU (1-3) opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Designated Hitter Jacob Schroeder (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) led off with an infield single and reached second base on a wild pitch from UTRGV starter Kevin Stevens. With one out, Jack Blazevich (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) hit a groundball to third baseman Andy Atwood that ricocheted off his glove into leftfield. That error allowed Schroeder to score and gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
 
UTRGV (4-4) answered the Huskies' run with three in the bottom of the second. The Vaqueros had runners at second and third with one out when shortstop Christian Sepulveda hit a three-run home run over the left centerfield fence to give UTRGV a 3-1 lead. UTRGV extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring eight runs on seven hits to go up 11-1. The Huskies got one runner into scoring position in the sixth but Stevens ended the NIU threat with a strikeout and a groundout.
 
"It was a tough day today," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "UTRGV is a good team and they made us pay for our mistakes. This group of Huskies has the character to bounce back after a tough day."
 
The Huskies had five hits in the game and left seven runners on base. Sepulveda was 3-for-3 in the game with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Stevens struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits.
 
Game two of this weekend's series is Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
--NIU--