DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team was unable to bounce back from early errors in the field Sunday afternoon in a 13-3 loss in seven innings to the Kent State Golden Flashes at Ralph McKinzie Field.
 
Kent State (8-10, 4-5 MAC) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second. With runners at first and second and one out, an errant throw on a groundball off the bat of Josh Johnson allowed Mack Timbrook to score from second base for the game's first run. Connor Ashby then scored from third on a failed pickoff at first to make the score 2-0. Nick Elsen then drove home Johnson with a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-0. An Ashby two-run home run in the third capped another three-run inning that put the Golden Flashes ahead 6-0.
 
NIU (4-16, 4-5 MAC) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Scott Combs (Northville, Mich./Michigan State) led off with a single through the left side of the infield. Combs advanced to third on consecutive groundouts. Mason Kelley (Mt. Washington, Ky./Schoolcraft College) drove home Combs with a double to right centerfield, making the score 6-1.
 
The Golden Flashes responded with two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to go up 10-1. Kelley struck again in the bottom of the sixth, launching his first home run of the season with a two-run shot that made the score 10-3.
 
"Mason did a great job today," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "He's starting to come along at the plate. We need to take the positives and build on those to continue to get better."
 
Kelley was 2-for-3 at the plate Sunday and drove in all three NIU runs. Combs was 2-for-4 on the day.
 
NIU and Kent State wrap up their series on Monday, March 28 at 12 p.m. CT at Ralph McKinzie Field.
 
--NIU--