YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Northern Illinois University baseball team scored seven runs in the final four innings Friday afternoon but could not erase an early deficit in a 10-9 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Oestrike Stadium.
 
Eastern Michigan (26-26, 11-18 MAC) led 8-2 through five innings. NIU right fielder Parker Shupe (Johnston, Iowa/Kirkwood CC) got the Huskies back on the board in the top of the sixth. With Andrew Smart (Evanston, Ill./Oakton CC) on first after a single through the right side, Shupe smashed his second home run of the season over the right field wall to make the score 8-4.
 
NIU (10-42, 5-23 MAC) closed within two runs in the top of the seventh. Eastern Michigan relief pitcher Zach Gillig walked Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton), Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) and Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto CC) to load the bases with no outs. He then hit Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) with a pitch to make the score 8-5. Nick Chittum then entered the game from the Eagles' bullpen. He got a strikeout for the first out but hit Smart with a pitch to bring in Demetral and make the score 8-6. He got out of the inning with a flyout and strikeout.
 
The Eagles got those two runs back in the bottom of the seventh on two-run single by Blake McRae to put Eastern Michigan ahead 10-6. NIU responded with three runs in the top of the eighth. Jake Nelson (Altoona, Wis./Madison College) led off with a single, followed by an Erato double. Chittum then hit Demetral with a pitch to load the bases. Harper laced a double down the left field line to score Nelson and Erato and put NIU within two runs at 10-8. A Summerhill sacrifice fly to centerfield brought in Demetral and made the score 10-9. Chittum halted the rally with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
 
Reagan Klawiter (Verona, Wis./Madison College) entered the game from the NIU bullpen for the bottom of the eighth and threw a perfect inning, striking out a pair to keep the score at 10-9. The Huskies had the tying run on base in the ninth when Tyler Thierry (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) was hit by a pitch with one out. Chittum got a pair of flyouts to end the ballgame as Eastern Michigan hung on for the win.
 
Eastern Michigan took an early lead in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs off NIU starting pitcher Dominic Hann (Washington, Mich./Michigan State). NIU got its first hit of the game in the top of the second inning on a leadoff double from Summerhill. After stealing second base, Summerhill advanced to third on a flyout to right field by Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel). Smart drove home Summerhill with a single to left field to make the score 5-1. Thierry brought NIU's second run around to score with a two-out double to left center.
 
The Huskies had a chance to close the deficit to one run in the top of the third. Harper drew a walk with two outs, then got to third on Summerhill's second double of the game. Eastern Michigan starting pitcher Luke Russo got out of the inning with a strikeout. The Eagles extended their lead with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to go up 8-2.
 
Summerhill and Smart each had two hits and two RBI in the game. Shupe and Harper also drove in two runs each. Harper drew two walks. Eastern Michigan's Kyle Schroedle was 4-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, hitting for the cycle.
 
The Huskies and Eagles close the 2023 season on Saturday, May 20 at 12 p.m. CT.
 
--NIU--