DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team won its fifth consecutive game Friday afternoon, defeating the Ball State Cardinals 5-2 at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt & Janice Owens Park.
"We found a way to win a Friday game in the MAC," said head coach
Ryan Copeland after NIU won its 12 game in the last 15. "It was a really good, well-played ballgame. It feels good to get the first one out of the way against one of the stalwart programs in the conference."
NIU won its 30
th game of the year, marking the first time since 2011 the Huskies reached that mark for victories. It was also the Huskies' 20
th Mid-American Conference win this season. The Huskies were held to six hits in the game but drew seven walks.
Ball State (21-27, 14-14 MAC) scored first on Friday, putting a run on the board in the top of the first. Brayden Huebner led off with a single, advancing to third on a Ryan Muizelaar base hit.
Danny Cihocki (Princeton, Ill./Lake Land College) got Jacob Gillis to ground into a 4-6-3 double play with Huebner scoring on the play to put the Cardinals up 1-0. NIU's junior starting pitcher allowed a hit in each of the next four innings but put up zeros in each frame.
"Danny pitched incredibly well today," Copeland said. "He picked up our team today. It was a great performance for him, especially after Ball State jumped him in the first."
NIU (30-13, 20-8 MAC) had one hit through the first four innings but got off to a fast start in the bottom of the fifth.
Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO) led off with a single off the glove of Ball State pitcher Brendan Garza.
Ivan Dahlberg (Minooka, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) then launched his seventh home run of the year over the right field fence to put the Huskies in front 2-1.
The Cardinals had a chance to go back in the lead in the top of the sixth. Ball State had runners at first and second with one out when Cihocki got Max Kalk to hit into an inning-ending double play. The Huskies extended their lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning.
Caden Robertson (Magnolia, Texas/Central Oklahoma) reached on an error leading off the frame, only for Garza to strike out the next two batters. A passed ball got Robertson to second with a wild pitch getting NIU's designated hitter to third. After
Nolan Sandee was intentionally walked, Baldwin ripped a double down the left field line to score Robertson and make the score 3-1. A wild pitch allowed Sandee to score NIU's fourth run. Dahlberg then walked to give the Huskies' runners at the corners.
Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) put down a bunt single that brought home Baldwin and put NIU up 5-1.
Ball State got a run back in the top of the eighth on a two-out solo home run by Brett Griffiths, making the score 5-2.
John Lyman (Minneapolis, Minn./NIACC) entered the game from the NIU bullpen and got Charlie Keller to ground out to end the inning.
Blake Gaskey (Davenport, Iowa/Ohio) got his third save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
"Our guys just keep believing," Copeland said. "The more you win, the more you believe you're good. Whether we're up early, down early, our guys truly believe we're going to find a way to win."
Cihocki moved to 5-2 on the year, holding Ball State to two runs on 10 hits in 7.2 innings. The bottom half of the NIU order – Sandee, Baldwin, Dahlberg and Parcell – accounted for all six on the Huskies' hits. Baldwin and Parcell were both 2-for-4 with an RBI each.
NIU and Ball State continue this weekend's series on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m. for "Bark At The Park".
--NIU--
