KENT, Ohio - The Northern Illinois University baseball team left 12 runners on base Friday in a 15-5, eight-inning loss to the Kent State Golden Flashes at Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

"The game got away from us late," said head coach Ryan Copeland. "We did a good job clawing our way back into it, but we had a couple bases loaded situations where we didn't capitalize. Our bullpen needed to be better in the eighth and it turned a pretty good college baseball game into a not-so-great result."

Kent State (5-6, 1-0 MAC) got on the board first. With a runner at first and two outs, Sawyer Solitaria hit a single to right field to keep the inning alive. Hunter Klotz then delivered a two-run double to left center to give the Golden Flashes a 2-0 lead. Micah Kiracofe followed with a base hit to left field that scored Klotz and put Kent State up 3-0. Adam Brouwer (Tinley Park, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) struck out Alejandro Covas to end the inning.

NIU (6-5, 0-1 MAC) got two runners on base in the top of the second. Andrew Smart (Evanston, Ill./Oakton CC) led off with a walk. After a strikeout, Kaden Kosobucki (West De Pere, Wis./West De Pere) laced a single through the left side of the infield. Kent State starting pitcher Gavin Jones got a pair of flyouts to end the frame.

The Golden Flashes nearly broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth. Kiracofe reached on an infield single with one out, then stole second base. A throwing error by Ben Loyd (Pleasant Prairie, Ill./Kaskaskia College) allowed Covas to reach base. After a groundout advanced the runners, Ripken Reese drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Brouwer got NIU out of the inning unscathed, striking out Jake Casey to keep the game 3-0.

The Huskies got on the board in the top of the fifth. Kosobucki led off with a home run over the left field fence, his first of the year, to make the score 3-1. Will Couchman (Edina, Minn./NIACC) then drew a walk. Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) then hit a single through the right side, getting Couchman to third. A walk by CJ Cepicky (St. Louis, Mo./Missouri) loaded the bases for Logan Gregorio (Naperville, Ill./Benedictine). Gregorio hit a ball back to Jones on the mound who misplayed it, allowing Couchman to score and everyone else to advance. Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO) drew a walk to bring in Parcell and tie the game 3-3. Caden Leonard came in from the Kent State bullpen and got a strikeout and a groundout to end the NIU threat and keep the game tied.

Kent State quickly took back the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Hayden Jatczak led off with a single then scored all the way from first base on a Brody Williams double that put the Golden Flashes ahead 4-3. Solitaria then walked to give Kent State runners at first and second. After a popout, Danny Cihocki (Princeton, Ill./Lake Land College) entered the game from the NIU bullpen. Kiracofe ripped a triple to right center to score both runners, stretching the Golden Flashes' lead to 6-3. Cihocki struck out Covas and got Landon Tiesing to fly out to end the fifth, then struck out the side in the sixth.

The Huskies got a run back in the top of the seventh. Smart hit a double to right center with two outs, scoring on a pinch-hit double from Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) to make the score 6-4. Kent State stole a run in the bottom of the seventh with a double steal to go up 7-4. NIU had a chance to tie the game in the top of the eighth. Cepicky drove in Loyd with a single up the middle to make the score 7-5. Gregorio then reached on an error, followed by a Baldwin walk to load the bases with two outs. Kent State reliever Peyton Cariaco got Smart to flyout to hold the Huskies to one run in the inning. The Golden Flashes put eight runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth to end the game.

Kosobucki and Cepicky both were 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI on Friday. Cepicky has had three multi-hit games in the last four for NIU.

"We've been trying to find a spot that suits CJ in the order, and he's had some good swings lately in the two-spot behind Charlie [Parcell]," Copeland said. "While we're trying to alternate left and right through the lineup, he fits the mold for us and we like where he's at near the top."

With cold temperatures in the forecast for Saturday, NIU and Kent State will play a doubleheader on Sunday, March 9. Game one is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.

—NIU—