DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team was unable to complete a weekend series sweep of the Akron Zips on Sunday, falling 7-4 at Ralph McKinzie Field as the Zips took the final game of the four-game set.
"It was a disappointing end to an otherwise pretty good weekend," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "Akron did a good job of throwing strikes and we didn't make many adjustments. Their bullpen stymied our offense and by the time we made the adjustment in the ninth it was too little too late."
Akron (10-28, 4-24) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Zac Granger scored from third on an NIU error. The Huskies quickly tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.) was hit by a pitch and got to third on a pair of passed balls. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) drove in Barnes with a single through the left side of a drawn-in infield to make the score 1-1.
The Zips took back the lead in the top of the second on a run-scoring groundout from Tate Wargo, putting the score at 2-1. Akron added a pair of runs in the fourth. With runners at second and third and one out, Dominick Trevino grounded out to Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) at shortstop to bring in Chase Regan and make the score 2-1. Wargo followed with a single down the left field line that scored Cameron Tilly, but Barnes threw out Wargo as he tried for a double to end the inning with Akron ahead 4-1.
NIU (10-28, 9-15 MAC) had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Lonteen was hit by a pitch from Akron reliever Mark Meyer to lead off the inning. After a pair of flyouts, Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) drew a walk to give the Huskies runners at first and second. Meyer got out of the jam by getting Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) to fly out to Wargo in left field.
The Zips put two more runs on the board in the top of the sixth to take a 6-1 lead. Erato cut into the deficit with a lead-off home run, the first of his NIU career, over the left field fence to make the score 6-2.
"Anytime you have these young guys stepping up to become the player you think they can be sooner than you expect, it's great," Kunigonis said of the freshman third baseman. "He's been playing well and that's why he's in the lineup every day."
Akron put an insurance run on the board in the top of the ninth to go up 7-2. NIU's first three batters reached base in the bottom of the ninth as the Huskies attempted to rally and force extra innings. Dunham was hit by a Jackson Miller pitch leading off the frame. Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill./Illinois Valley C.C.) then drew a four-pitch walk. Lonteen then delivered a double to left center, scoring Dunham to make the score 7-3.
Brady Mehl then entered the game from the Akron bullpen and got Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) to ground out to third baseman Jimmy Reinhart, which scored Huebbe from third to get NIU within three at 7-4. That was as close as the Huskies got as Mehl retired the next two batters to give Akron the win in the final game of the series.
Erato and Lonteen were both 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI on the day. Nick Bonk (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) got the start on the mound for the Huskies and threw 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Meyer earned the win out of the Akron bullpen, throwing three shutout innings while allowing just one hit.
NIU begins a four-game series against the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m.
--NIU--
"drops" - Google News
May 03, 2021 at 04:20AM
https://ift.tt/3tcEnhu
NIU Drops Series Finale To Akron 7-4 - Northern Illinois University Athletics
"drops" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2z3v8dG
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NIU Drops Series Finale To Akron 7-4 - Northern Illinois University Athletics"
Post a Comment