DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University baseball team scored 11 runs after a one hour and fifty-one minute weather delay Wednesday afternoon against the Illinois State Redbirds at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park, but could not overcome Illinois State's offense and the waning daylight in an 18-11 loss in seven innings.
 
Illinois State (11-21) sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring eight runs. A Greg Nichols three-run home run put the Redbirds up 5-0 as a Shaydon Kubo two-run single with two outs capped the scoring in the frame. Illinois State added three runs in the third to take an 11-0 lead before lightning in the area brought about a weather delay in the middle of the fourth.
 
NIU (7-27) came out swinging after the delay. Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) got the Huskies first hit of the game with a one-out single off Illinois State reliever Trey Krause. After Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto CC) was hit by a pitch, Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) cleared the bases with a two-run double to left center. With runners at the corners and two outs Jake Nelson (Altoona, Wis./Madison College) looped a single to right field to score Summerhill and make the score 11-3.
 
The Redbirds led 15-4 going into the bottom of the sixth. Andrew Smart (Evanston, Ill./Oakton CC) led off with a double down the left field line. Tyler Thierry (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) drove in Smart with a base it up the middle for the Huskies' first run of the inning. A Nelson single and a walk to catcher Kyle Smith (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Twp.) loaded the bases for Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel). Peters hit a double to deep right center, bringing home Nelson and Thierry to make the score 15-7.
 
After a foul out for the first out, Demetral followed with a two-run single to centerfield to get NIU within six, 15-9. With two outs and runners at the corners Smart reached on an infield single that scored Demetral and made the score 15-10. Back-to-back walks by Thierry and Nelson brought in the seventh run of the inning as Summerhill touched home plate to put the score at 15-11. NIU scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth on seven hits.
 
"Our guys don't give up," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "They kept battling after the lightning delay. They want to play baseball and play hard and do it the right way. If they continue to do this, regardless of outcomes, they're going to do great things in life."
 
Illinois State extended its lead to 18-11 with three runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by Nichols' second home run of the game which was a solo shot. Peters led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, his third hit of the game. However, Elijah Dale retired the next three Huskies he faced and the game was called due to darkness after seven innings.
 
Peters was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in, including his second home run in as many days leading off the fifth inning. Smart also had three hits on the game. Seven of the nine Huskies in the lineup Wednesday had at least one hit.
 
The Huskies go on the road this weekend to face the Ball State Cardinals. The three-game series begins Friday, April 21 at 2 p.m. CT.
 
--NIU--