DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team swept a doubleheader against the Akron Zips Saturday at Ralph McKinzie Field, winning by scores of 3-1 and 11-2.
"We battled through some tough, windy conditions today," said head coach
Mike Kunigonis. "It was a great job by us to have an answer each time Akron scored today and nullify any momentum they may have had. Our pitching staff has been fantastic all weekend, and today they gave us an opportunity to win both games."
NIU (10-27, 9-14 MAC) and Akron traded runs to start game one. The Zips took a 1-0 lead on a Cameron Tilly sacrifice fly, only to see
Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) due the same in the bottom half of the inning. The Huskies took the lead in the bottom of the third.
Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) led off with a walk and got to second base on a
Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.) sacrifice bunt. Dunham drove in Joyce with a two-out RBI single to give NIU a 2-1 lead.
Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) made that lead hold up, retiring 11 out of 13 batters at one point in the game. The Zips threatened to tie the game in the top of the fifth with runners at first and second with two outs, but the junior right-hander got Justin Barr to ground out to end the inning. The Huskies manufactured an insurance run for Lasiewicz in the bottom of the fifth as a
Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill./Illinois Valley C.C.) single brought in Barnes to make the score 3-1. Akron had runners at the corners in the top of the seventh but Lasiewicz got Barr to popout to end the game.
Lasiewicz allowed just one unearned run on three hits for his first complete game of the season. He struck out three Zips while walking two. Dunham was 2-for-2 in game one with a pair of RBI.
"Our pitchers have been picking us up this weekend when we've made some early errors," Kunigonis said. "Even when it got a little hairy in game one when we made two errors in the seventh and put the tying run on base, Mike took care of business."
Just as in game one, Akron (9-28, 3-24 MAC) took an early lead in the nightcap. A Zac Granger RBI double and a Bryant Shellenbarger RBI single spotted the Zips a 2-0 lead. NIU answered in the bottom half of the inning. Barnes reached on a one-out single, then scored on
Kam Smith's (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) 10
th home run of the season which tied the game at two. Dunham then drew a walk. Huebbe stepped up to the plate and cracked a two-run home run over the left field fence to put the Huskies ahead 4-2.
Ryan Anderson (Palatine, Ill./McHenry C.C.) settled into a groove on the mound after getting the lead, retiring nine of the next 11 batters he faced. The Huskies put the game away in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs as a two-RBI Smith single made the score 7-2. NIU added four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run
Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) double, to go up 11-2.
The Huskies' 11 runs in game two are the second-most NIU has scored in a game this season. It's also the fifth time this season the Huskies have scored double-digit runs. Smith, Dunham, and Huebbe were a combined 6-for-9 at the plate in game two with six RBI. Huebbe was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored as Smith went 3-for-4 with four RBI.
"Anytime you get your guys in the middle of the order producing, its big," Kunigonis said. "The guys in front of them need to get on base for them and Joyce and Barnes have been setting the table so those guys have that opportunity to drive in runs like they did in game two."
Anderson got his first win of the season, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
NIU and Akron wrap up their weekend series on Sunday, May 2 at 12 p.m.
--NIU--
