DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University scored 15 runs on 14 hits on Friday afternoon but came up one run short in a 16-15 loss to the Western Michigan Broncos at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt & Janice Owens Park.
"We swung the bats like we have been and played good defense which makes it tough to give up 16 runs," said head coach
Ryan Copeland. "We just were not good enough on the mound. Western Michigan had been struggling a bit offensively recently but didn't look like it today. We're just trying to find solutions to our issues on the mound. You'd think if you score 15 runs at home on a Friday that you're going to win, especially against a pretty good starter. This is a tough one to take because it was there for us to take but we couldn't find a stopper on the mound."
NIU (15-26, 4-15 MAC) led put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first on a
Will Couchman (Edina, Minn./NIACC) single and a two-run single off the bat of
Ben Loyd (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kaskaskia College). Starting Pitcher
Adam Brouwer (Tinley Park, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) stranded a runner at third in both the first and second innings to keep Western Michigan scoreless.
Logan Gregorio (Naperville, Ill./Benedictine) extended the NIU lead to 5-0 in the second with a two-run home run over the centerfield wall, his 15
th home run of the season.
Western Michigan (11-26, 7-12 MAC) put a run on the board in the third when a two-out error scored Michael Maloney to make the score 5-1. NIU responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to go ahead 9-1. Gregorio and
Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) hit back-to-back RBI singles to make the score 7-1.
JP Gauthier (De Pere, Wis./Illinois State) then drove in both Parcell and Gregorio with a double to centerfield.
The Broncos scored five runs in the top of the fifth, four coming on a Chris Akers grand slam that got Western Michigan within three at 9-6. NIU responded with a two-run double from Gregorio and a Couchman run-scoring groundout to go up six 12-6. Western Michigan closed the gap to four in the sixth inning on a two-out, two-run home run by Lucas Rick to make the score 12-8.
A six-run seventh inning put Western Michigan in the lead. With the score 12-11 Avery Thielman hit a two-run home run to left center to give the Broncos a 13-12 advantage. Rick then hit his second home run of the game to make the score 14-12. A Dylan Nevar two-run home run in the ninth gave Western Michigan a 16-12 lead.
NIU attempted a rally in the ninth. Parcell led it off with a home run to right field, making the score 16-13. Western Michigan reliever DJ Thompson then got a strikeout and a groundout for the first two outs. Couchman and
Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO) then hit back-to-back home runs to get NIU within one run at 16-15.
Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) nearly tied the game, but his flyball was caught at the warning track in centerfield by Mally to end the game.
"We have really turned a corner offensively, and we're always going to fight to the final out," Copeland said. "It feels like we're one of the more feared offenses in the country. When you have an offensive day like today, we're as good as it gets in the country at getting the ball up in the air on the barrel."
Parcell reached base five times in six plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with three walks. Gregorio was 4-for-6 and tied a season-high with five RBI. Couchman tied season-highs with three hits and three RBI. Brouwer went three innings on the mound, allowing one unearned run on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts.
The two teams continue this weekend's series on Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m.
--NIU--
