DeKALB, IL – Senior catcher Colin Summerhill (Chicago, Ill./Troy) of the Northern Illinois University baseball team broke a 21-year old program record Friday afternoon, becoming the Huskies' single-season home run leader with his 16^th of the season in NIU's 7-3 loss to the Kent State Golden Flashes at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park.
 
"Colin has been outstanding of late and understands who he is as a hitter," said head coach Ryan Copeland. "When he forces pitchers to get him out inside the strikezone, he's on the barrel a lot. When you're doing that you're hitting the ball harder. It's an outstanding accomplishment and a testament to his hard work in his career."
 
Summerhill surpassed the previous mark of 15 set by Mike Santoro in the 2003 season in the bottom of the seventh inning. Down in the count 0-1, Summerhill launched a Calvin Bickerstaff pitch over the left field fence to get NIU on the board after trailing 7-0.
 
"It was something I was looking forward to all week to get an opportunity to break the record," Summerhill said. "I'm happy to get it done. I wish it could have been a little more dramatic, but we have to play better. I've made some adjustments and seeing the ball better, hopefully that carries over to tomorrow."
 
NIU (11-25, 6-10) put two more runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth. With a runner at first and one out, Jake Nelson (Altoona, Wis./Madison College) rang a double off the left centerfield wall to bring home Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) and make the score 7-2. Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) drew a walk before Summerhill popped out for the second out of the inning. CJ Cepicky (St. Louis, Mo./Missouri) made the score 7-3 with a single through the left side of the infield, scoring Nelson. NIU had two runners on with one out in the ninth but Kent State reliever Peyton Cariaco got a double play ball to end the game.
 
Kent State (18-17, 9-7 MAC) put a run on the board in the top of the first on a Brody Williams run-scoring single. Williams drove in the first four runs of the game for the Golden Flashes, belting a three-run home run in the third to make the score 4-0. Josh Johnson hit a home run leading off the fifth inning to put Kent State up 5-0. Kent State scored twice in the sixth to take a 7-0 lead.
 
The NIU bullpen duo of Reagan Klawiter (Verona, Wis./Madison College) and Parker Schuring (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) combined to throw 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Nelson extended his current hitting streak to nine games, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) and Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) both had two hits as well.
 
The Huskies and Golden Flashes play the middle game of their three-game Mid-American Conference series on Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m.
 
--NIU--