VALPARAISO, Ind. - The Northern Illinois University baseball team scored six runs in the eighth inning Tuesday to come back for an 8-6 win at Emory G. Bauer Field against the Valparaiso Beacons on Tuesday afternoon.

Down 4-2 in the eighth, NIU (15-24) tied the game on a two-run home run off the bat of sophomore third baseman Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry). Kayden Jennings (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) and Andrew Smart (Evanston, Ill./Oakton CC) then drew back-to-back walks. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position and CJ Cepicky capitalized. The senior hit a double down the left field line to score both runners and give NIU a 6-4 lead.

After a sacrifice bunt moved Cepicky to third, Logan Gregorio (Naperville, Ill./Benedictine) drew a walk to give NIU runners at the corners. The runners advanced on a wild pitch with Cepicky scoring to put the Huskies up 7-4. Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO) drew NIU's fourth walk of the inning to bring JP Gauthier (De Pere, Wis./Illinois State) to the plate. Gauthier drove in NIU's sixth and final run of the inning with a single to left, putting NIU ahead 8-4.

"It usually takes one guy to step up and have a good at-bat," said head coach Ryan Copeland. "We were not good offensively today, but Cooper went and got the big hit and we found a way to roll from there. I'm proud of our guys for sticking with it and finding a way to win. We found the barrel a couple times in that inning to get the runs we needed."

Clayton Taylor (Columbus, Ind./Kaskaskia College) entered the game from the NIU bullpen in the bottom of the eighth and threw a scoreless inning. Spencer Warfield hit an infield single with two outs in the inning but Taylor picked him off at first base to end the frame. Valpo scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to make the score 8-6, but Gavin Micklinghoff (McHenry, Ill./McHenry County College) got the final two outs on strikeouts to slam the door on an NIU win.

NIU (14-24) got on the board in the top of the second. With two outs Ben Loyd (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kaskaskia College) hit a single to centerfield, reaching second base on an error by Warfield. Smart then hit a ball to third baseman Thomas Cooper that was bobbled, allowing Loyd to score from second base to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

John Lyman (Minneapolis, Minn./NIACC) hit the Beacons' lead-off man Aidan Thaxton with a pitch in the bottom of the first, but then retired the next six batters he faced. Case Sullivan recorded the first hit for Valpo in the third, a home run over the left centerfield wall that tied the game 1-1. The Beacons loaded the bases with two outs then took the lead on a walk by Connor Giusti that scored Thaxton and made the score 2-1. Mason Ruh (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran HS) came in from the bullpen and got a groundout to end the inning.

Valpo (8-27) scored a run in the fourth on a Warfield single and in the fifth on a Cooper solo home run to make the score 4-1. NIU got back on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh. Gregorio hit a double to straight-away centerfield with one out. After a flyout, Gauthier ripped a single through the left side that scored Gregorio and made the score 4-2. Nick Bassi (Zionsville, Ind./St. Charles CC) entered the game from the Huskies bullpen in the sixth inning and threw two scoreless innings, striking out three Beacons to keep the deficit at two.

"We brought Nick here to be a stopper for us, a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen," Copeland said. "He put two zeroes up on the board when we desperately needed it and allowed our offense to come back. We need more of that from Nick. If we're going to be good, we need our bullpen to pitch well and him to be a big part of it."

Bassi earned his first career win on Tuesday, with Micklinghoff getting his first career save.  Gauthier and Cohn each had two hits and two RBI. Cohn's home run was his fifth of the season. Gregorio also had two hits and scored two runs.

The Huskies take on another Missouri Valley Conference opponent on Wednesday, April 23 when NIU heads down to Normal, Ill. to face the Illinois State Redbirds. First pitch is at 5 p.m. CT.

—NIU—