DeKALB, IL - The Northern Illinois University baseball team erased three Kent State leads and had the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but the Golden Flashes hung on for a 9-8 win at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt & Janice Owens Park on Saturday afternoon.

"Today was a highly competitive baseball game," said head coach Ryan Copeland. "Both sides did a lot of things very well. I loved our game offensively, just like yesterday, and played exceptional defense. It felt like a game that was going to come down to the final at-bat and they just got us today. We're going to fight tomorrow to get the series."

Caden Robertson (Magnolia, Texas/Central Oklahoma) led all players in the game with four hits, including a run-scoring double and a two-run home run. Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO) also had a home run in the game. Ivan Dahlberg (Minooka, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) was 2-for-5 with an RBI double. That trio was a combined 7-for-14 with seven RBI.

"Caden went almost a month without hitting one out of the park and he got one today," Copeland said. "When you can get the top of the order going, it's tough for the opposition to navigate."

NIU (19-11, 11-6 MAC) was down 7-4 going into the bottom of the fifth. Robertson and Cole Smith (Dubuque, Iowa/Bradley) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Baldwin then launched a three-run home run over the left centerfield wall, his seventh of the year, to tie the score at 7-7. A Wyatt Wawro (Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South) walk then chased Kent State starting pitcher Easton Tumis from the game. Evan Holewinski got out of the inning by getting a groundout and by catcher Brody Williams throwing out Wawro trying to steal second base.

Kent State (25-8, 13-4 MAC) took back the lead in the top of the sixth as a Ripken Reese home run made the score 8-7. The Huskies responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-out double from Robertson that drove in Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) to get back to even at 8-8. The Golden Flashes got their first two batters on base in the top of the seventh. Alejandro Covas drew a walk and Nolan Belcher was hit by a pitch. A Grady Mee sacrifice bunt moved the two runners into scoring position. With the infield in, Luke Matthews laced a single off the glove of a diving Will Couchman (Edina, Minn./NIACC) at third to bring home Covas and put Kent State up 9-8. John Lyman (Minneapolis, Minn./NIACC) got two flyouts to end the inning and keep the deficit at one run.

Matt Tarr (North Aurora, Ill./Purdue) entered the game from the NIU bullpen in the eighth and stranded a Kent State runner at third. The Huskies had a chance to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame. Parcell reached on a one-out single and got to second on a Smith groundout. Robertson drew a walk to bring Baldwin to the plate. Kent State closer Brody Krzysiak got Baldwin to foul out to Williams at first base to end the threat.

Tarr put another zero on the board in the bottom of the ninth, retiring the side in order. Dahlberg led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to center field. Kayden Jennings (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) pinch ran for Dahlberg and reached second on a Wawro sacrifice. Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) drew a walk to put the winning run on base. However, Krzysiak got a strikeout and a groundout to lock up the 9-8 win for the Golden Flashes.

"Our guys are extremely competitive and battled to the final out today," said Copeland. "That's what winning does. It keeps you believing that you're never out of a game. We've put up 12 and eight runs on Kent State in the first two games of this series and they entered the weekend leading the MAC in pitching."

Robertson put NIU up 2-0 in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run, his team-leading 11th of the season. Kent State responded with four runs in the top of the third, highlighted by a Micah Kiracofe two-run home run, to go up 4-2. The Huskies tied the game in the bottom of the third as a Dahlberg RBI double and Wawro RBI single made the score 4-4.

Reese, Matthews and Brady Marshall each had two hits for Kent State. Holewinski earned the win in relief, allowing one run on four hits in 3.1 innings pitched. Tarr had two strikeouts and a walk in two scoreless innings.

The rubber game of this weekend's series is set for Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m.

—NIU—