DeKALB, IL - The Northern Illinois University baseball team erased a two-run deficit in the ninth inning Friday against the Western Michigan Broncos to force extra innings, then scored three runs in the bottom of the 11^th for a 6-5 win at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park.
 
"We're starting to see some of the character start to come out of this team," said head coach Mike Kunigonis following Friday's win. "We're starting to see the fruits of our labor. When you do things the right way, eventually it pays off. It's a good ballclub on the other side and we're sure to be in another close game tomorrow."
 
NIU (7-24, 4-9 MAC) trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. Western Michigan reliever Hayden Berg retired the first two batters of the inning, but Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) kept the game alive with a single to left center. Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) then laced a double just inside the third base line that got all the way to the left field corner. Erato scored all the way from first base to tie the game 3-3. A flyout ended the inning and sent the game to extra innings.
 
Western Michigan (9-23, 6-7 MAC) broke the tie in the top of the 11^th inning. Jimmy Allen led off with a single. NIU reliever Mason Ruh (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran HS) got Dylan Nevar and Josh Swinehart to pop out for the first two outs. Greg Budig drew a walk to keep the inning alive. That allowed Grady Mee to step up to the plate and clear the bases with a two-run double to right centerfield, putting the Broncos ahead 5-3.
 
Tyler Thierry (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) led off NIU's half of the 11^th with a single to centerfield. Christian Seegers (Schaumburg, Ill./Creighton) followed with a walk, which led the Broncos to go to the bullpen for Josh Shapiro. Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Erato then ripped a double down the left field line to score Seegers and Thierry to tie the game 5-5.
 
"I was really trying to stick with my approach and get on base to give my team the chance to win," said Erato about his big hit in extra innings. "We left some runners on base early, but we stuck with what we do best as a team and got it done any way we can."
 
Shapiro intentionally walked Demetral but hit Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto CC) with a pitch to load the bases with one out. Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) then stepped up to the plate and was hit by an 0-1 pitch from Shapiro, which brought Erato home for the 6-5 win.
 
The game started as a pitcher's duel between NIU's Dominic Hann (Washington, Mich./Michigan State) and Western Michigan's Brady Miller. Both pitchers traded zeroes on the scoreboard in the first four innings before NIU took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. With Peters at second and one out, Demetral put down a bunt single up the third base line. An errant throw by Western Michigan third baseman Gavin Doyle allowed Peters to score the game's first run. The Huskies extended the lead to 2-0 in the sixth on an RBI single from Thierry. After leaving the bases loaded in the fifth and stranding a runner at third in the sixth, Western Michigan took the lead 3-2 with three runs in the seventh, highlighted by back-to-back RBI singles from Budig and Mee that tied the game 2-2.
 
Hann allowed three runs on four hits in 6.1 innings, walking four while also striking out four. Ruh earned his first win of the season, allowing two runs in 4.2 innings. Erato and Thierry were both 3-for-5 at the plate, with Erato adding two RBI and his 20^th stolen base of the season.
 
"It was the best outing of year for Dom," Kunigonis said. "He executed pitches when he needed to and gave us more than a chance to win. To follow with Mason, someone who competes every outing, worked out well and the guys rallied around him."
 
NIU and Western Michigan play the middle game of this weekend's series on Saturday, April 15 at 1 p.m. CT.
 
--NIU--