BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Northern Illinois University reliever D.J. Hess induced pinch-hitter Justin Fugitt into a game-ending line out with the tying run on third and the Huskies' eighth-inning insurance run provided the final margin, giving NIU a 6-5 win over Bowling Green in the series finale at Steller Field on Sunday.
Hess, the Huskies' fourth pitcher of the game, threw the final one and two-thirds inning to earn his second save of the season. Starter
Jacob Draeger (1-5) gave up just four hits and allowed one earned run through the first five innings to earn the win, his first of the season.
NIU (9-40, 5-21 MAC) scored five runs in the first two innings to back up Draeger. The Huskies put two on the board in the first without benefit of a hit. Bowling Green starter Jacob Turner walked the bases loaded, NIU leadoff man
Eric Erato scored on a wild pitch and
Andre Demetral came in on
Mason Kelley's sacrifice fly.
Malik Peters opened the Huskie second with a double and moved to third on
Tyler Thierry's sacrifice. After
Jake Nelson was hit by a pitch, BG's Turner uncorked back-to-back wild pitches; Peters scored on the first, with Nelson coming all the way in from second with Erato at the plate. For the second straight inning, Erato and Demetral reached on walks. Erato stole third, then came in to score
Aaron Harper's single.
Bowling Green (18-29, 11-16 MAC) cut into the Huskies' lead with a single run in the second. Adam Fallon tripled with one out and came into score on a Jack Krause sac fly. Krause accounted for three more of Bowling Green's runs in the sixth when he tripled with two outs and the bases loaded off of NIU reliever
Tommy Meyer. Krause's hit brought in Tyler Ross, Nathan Rose and Fallon with walks to Ross and Fallon sandwiched around a Rose single.
NIU extended the lead to 6-4 in the eighth. Thierry, who went 2-for-4 in the game, singled, stole second and took third on Nelson's sacrifice bunt. Erato was intentionally walked, bringing up Demetral, who singled through the left side of the infield to score Thierry.
Hess, who had come on in place of
Brandon Doty with two on and one out in the eighth, struck out the Falcons' DJ Newman before Sam Seidel walked to load the bases. Hess struck out BG catcher Kyle Gurney to end the threat. In the ninth, Hess got two quick outs before walking Rose, who scored on a triple by Fallon.
Harper, Kelley and Thierry each had two hits for the Huskies while Erato was on base four times, stole two bases and scored twice.
The Huskies play their final home game of 2023 Tuesday, May 16, versus Milwaukee. First pitch at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park is at 3 p.m. (CT).
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