SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Northern Illinois University baseball team held a 9-5 lead in the sixth inning over the Sacramento State Hornets Sunday afternoon at John Smith Field, but the hosts rallied for a 10-9 win in the series finale between the two teams.
 
"We saw a ton of great things that we've been waiting to see out of this group," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "It was nice to see the offense come alive and execute at the level we know we can. Today was a tough one to let slip away."
 
NIU (0-4) took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.) led off with a single, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a groundout Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) singled to left field to give NIU runners at the corners. The Huskies executed a double steal with Barnes taking home to tie the game 1-1. Carlos Aranda (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ellsworth C.C.) put NIU ahead with a single up the middle that drove home Erato from second base.
 
Sacramento State (4-0) answered the Huskies two runs with three in the bottom of the third as a Nick Iwasa RBI single and Josh Rolling RBI double gave the Hornets a 4-2 lead. Both teams scored a run in the fourth to make the score 5-3. The Huskies tied the game in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two out freshman catcher Kaden Kosobucki (West De Pere, Wis./West De Pere) laced a single through the right side to score Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) and Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto CC) to draw NIU level 5-5.
 
The Huskies took the lead again in the top of the sixth. Barnes led off the frame with a triple, followed by an Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) walk. Erato then reached on a bunt single that drove home Barnes and gave NIU a 6-5 lead. Harper made the score 9-5 with a three-run home run over the centerfield fence, the first home run for NIU this season.
 
The Hornets responded in the bottom half of the sixth. With the bases loaded and two out Nick Bonk (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) threw a wild pitch that scored Cesar Valero and made the score 9-6. After a walk loaded the bases again Rolling drove home two more runs with a single to get Sacramento State within one at 9-8. Martin Vincelli-Simard then doubled down the left field line to plate two more runs and give the Hornets a 10-9 lead.
 
NIU relievers Matt Salomonson (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) and Sam Pederson (Verona, Wis./McHenry C.C.) did their part to keep it a one-run game, throwing scoreless seventh and eighth innings respectively. The duo combined for three strikeouts. However, Sacramento State reliever Jack Zalasky retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced to hold up the Hornets' 10-9 lead into a victory.
 
"Matt Salomonson had a great clean inning in his first collegiate action," Kunigonis said. "Sam Pederson was awesome and will be a lockdown guy for us at the back end of the bullpen."
 
Harper was 3-for-5 at the plate for NIU with a double, a home run and a stolen base. Kosobucki was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Erato and Barnes each had a pair of hits as well.  
 
NIU opens a four-game weekend series at Murray State on Friday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. CT.
 
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