DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University baseball team mustered just four hits Tuesday afternoon in an 8-1 loss to the UIC Flames at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park.
 
The game started as a pitcher's duel. UIC's Zak Gould retired the first nine batters he faced with NIU's Mason Ruh (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran HS) and Jackson Stewart (Urbandale, Iowa/Des Moines Area CC) matching him zero for zero on the scoreboard.
 
UIC (17-19) had a chance to take an early lead in the top of the first with Cole Conn drawing a lead-off walk and Charlie Szykowny lacing a single to right field. Ruh retired the next two batters before hitting Rayth Peterson with a pitch to load the bases. The sophomore got Ryan Nagelbach to popout to end the threat.
 
NIU (7-31) put its first runner on base in the bottom of the third when Andrew Smart (Evanston, Ill./Oakton CC) led off with a walk off of Gould. A strikeout and a double play got Gould and the Flames out of the inning. UIC took the lead in the top of the fourth. Petersen reached first on an error to start the frame. Nagelbach then launched a home run over the right field fence to give the Flames a 2-0 lead. After a flyout Zane Zielinski singled to right field. He then stole second on a Sean Dee strikeout, taking third base on a throwing error on the steal. Conn drew a walk with two outs, setting up Szykowny for a double down the right field line that made the score 3-0. Carson Roberts capped the scoring in the inning with a two-run single up the middle, giving UIC a 5-0 lead.
 
Gould and the UIC bullpen held the Huskies without a hit until the seventh inning. Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto CC) led off with a walk and got to third on a Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) double. Malik Peters drove a fly ball to right field that scored Harper and put NIU on the board 5-1. Summerhill tried to advance to third on the play and was thrown out at third by the right fielder Peterson. The Huskies loaded the bases with two outs but a flyout ended the inning. The Flames tacked on three runs in the top of the eighth with a two-run home run by Szykowny making the score 8-1.
 
Ruh, Stewart and Jake Kohanzo (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) combined to throw four scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Conner Lutes (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) threw a career-high four innings of relief, allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and a career-high four strikeouts.
 
"Mason and Jackson gave us a quality start today," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "UIC kept us off balance offensively. By the time we started to get a little bit of offense going at the plate, it was the seventh and we worked ourselves into a jam."
 
NIU gets right back at it tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26 with a 5 p.m. game at Illinois State. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
--NIU--