DeKALB, IL - The Northern Illinois University baseball team got a key two-run single in the bottom of the sixth from Aaron Harper (Hemet, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto CC) to tie the Toledo Rockets 2-2 on Friday, but the visitors scored three runs in the 10^th to come away with a 5-2 win at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park.
 
Toledo (21-24, 9-13 MAC) took an early lead in the top of the first. Jeron Williams led off with a single, then stole both second and third base. With runners at second and third and one out, Mason Sykes hit a single to left center to score Williams and put the Rockets up 1-0. Brayden White followed with an RBI groundout to make the score 2-0. NIU starting pitcher Dominic Hann (Washington, Mich./Michigan State) settled in after that, putting up three straight scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
 
NIU (8-36, 4-17 MAC) got its first hit off Toledo starting pitcher Jack Walker in the bottom of the third on a two-out single by third baseman Christian Seegers (Schaumburg, Ill./Creighton). In the fourth, NIU had runners at the corners with Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) at third and Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) at first. Walker threw a pitch inside to Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) that went off the glove of the catcher White. Erato broke for home but White threw to Walker covering home to get Erato at the plate and deny NIU its first run of the game.
 
The Huskies got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Jake Nelson (Altoona, Wis./Madison College) reached on a one-out single then got to second after Erato was walked for the third time in the game. Toledo then went to the bullpen for reliever Cal McAnanich. He got Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) to fly out to Caden Konczak for the second out. Harper then stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-out single to right field, bringing in both runners to tie the game 2-2.
 
"Aaron's been doing that all season for us," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "You put him in a big spot at a crucial time at the plate and he'll deliver."
 
NIU's relief corps of Mason Ruh (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran HS), Reagan Klawiter (Verona, Wis./Madison College) and Tommy Meyer (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa East) combined for five innings of scoreless relief from the fourth through the ninth inning. The Rockets stranded two runners on base in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings.
 
"Everybody did their job on the mound today," Kunigonis said. "They showed what they can do and were fantastic at keeping us in the game."
 
The Huskies had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Demetral led off with a single and advanced to second on a Harper sacrifice bunt. McAnaninch intentionally walked Summerhill to bring up Peters, who hit a single to right field to load the bases with one out. Tyler Thierry (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) attempted to put down a squeeze bunt but popped it up. Toledo first baseman Wesley Parker made the catch and threw to third base for a double play that sent the game to extra innings.
 
Toledo took back the lead in the 10^th. Williams walked to start the frame. Garret Pike then put down a bunt, but reached first base on an error. Meyer retired the next two batters with a popout and a strikeout. White then delivered a two-out, two-run single down the right field line to give Toledo a 4-2 advantage. Parker had an RBI single of his own to extend the lead to 5-2. Toledo gave the ball to Kyle Pijaszek in the bottom of the inning. Mason Kelley (Mt. Washington, Ky./Schoolcraft College) led off with a single but Pijaszek got a double play for the first two outs, then a flyout to end the ballgame.
 
Hann and Ruh combined for eight strikeouts over seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Peters' single in the ninth extended his current on-base streak to 16 games.
 
NIU and Toledo play the middle game of this weekend's three-game Mid-American Conference series on Saturday, May 6 at 1 p.m. Prior to first pitch NIU Baseball will hold a special 50^th Anniversary recognition for the 1972 Midwestern Conference champions, NIU's first baseball team to make the NCAA Tournament.
 
--NIU--