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NCAA men’s baseball game with Northern Illinois vs Oral Roberts University on Friday, February 17, 2023, on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Okla. (Photo by Dave Crenshaw for NIU)
David Crenshaw
4
Northern Illinois NIU 5-20
9
Winner Xavier XU 15-12
Northern Illinois NIU
5-20
4
Final
9
Xavier XU
15-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Northern Illinois NIU 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 6 0
Xavier XU 2 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 X 9 13 0

W: ALAZAUS, Brant (3-3) L: Wilde, Jacob (0-5)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Big Sixth Inning Propels Xavier Past NIU 9-4

Peters And Harper Combine For Four Hits And Three RBI

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Northern Illinois University baseball team held an early 3-2 lead but the Xavier Musketeers scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 8-3 and go on to win 9-4 at Hayden Field Saturday afternoon.

Xavier (15-12) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. NIU's Jacob Wilde (Waukesha, Wis./Madison College) retired the first two batters he faced, then hit left fielder Andrew Walker with a pitch. Tyler DeMartino then launched a two-run home run over the left field fence.

NIU (5-20) got its first hit of the game in the top of the third when Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) hit a home run to make the score 2-1. Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) followed with single through the left side of the infield. After Erato stole second base, Andre Demetral hit a single to right field to give NIU runners at the corners with one out. Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto College) then laced a double down the left field line to score Erato and tied the game 2-2. Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) put the Huskies ahead 3-2 with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Demetral.

The Musketeers threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, A Garrett Schultz single gave Xavier runners at the corners and one out. Wilde stranded both runners with a pop out and foul out to keep NIU in front. Xavier took back the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six runs with three coming a Schultz home run with one out that put the Musketeers ahead 5-3. A Matthew DePrey two-run double and a Walker single gave Xavier an 8-3 advantage.

The Huskies got a run back in the top of the seventh on a Peters RBI double down the right field line, driving home Tyler Thierry (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) to put the score at 8-4. Xavier went back up by five, 9-4, in the bottom of the inning as Carter Hendrickson scored from third on a wild pitch.

Xavier reliever Jonathan Kelly entered the game after Peters' RBI double in the seventh, and retired all seven batters he faced to lock up the 9-4 win for the Musketeers.

"The big inning has been our Achilles' heel," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We need to learn to limit damage and eliminate these big innings. We need to bounce back tomorrow and go into next week with a good feeling."

Peters was 2-for-3 with his second home run of the season. Harper was also 2-for-3 in the game.

The two teams wrap up their weekend series on Sunday, April 2 at 12 p.m. CT.

—NIU—
 
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