NIU baseball (9-18, 5-6 MAC) dropped its second consecutive game in a loss to University of Toledo (13-13, 8-3 MAC) by a score of 8-7 to fall below .500 in MAC play for the first time this season.

POOR STARTING PITCHING

For the second consecutive game against Toledo, NIU’s starting pitching has dug the team into an early hole and put the team in a bad spot early. 

In Thursday’s game, freshman pitcher Ty Brachbill surrendered 10 runs in just four innings to the Rockets. 

In Friday’s contest, junior pitcher Tommy Meyer saw similar results, giving up all eight runs scored by Toledo in three innings of work. 

BULLPEN WORKING OVERTIME

Following Meyer’s early exit, NIU’s bullpen faced an 8-0 hole and delivered a performance that kept NIU in the game. 

Sophomore outfielder/pitcher Jake Kohanzo relieved Meyer in the fourth inning and finished his day with a line of three innings, four strikeouts and two hits. 

Freshman pitcher Alex Day was the next Huskie out of the pen and worked a perfect seventh inning while picking up a strikeout. 

Redshirt senior pitcher Reagan Klawiter and senior pitcher Jackson Stewart worked the bottom half of the eighth inning. 

Klawiter started the inning by picking up a strikeout but allowed a double and a walk to the next two batters. After Klawiter forced senior first baseman/outfielder Owen Jackson to foul out, Stewart was inserted into the game to claim the final out. 

Stewart only needed two pitches to get junior catcher Brayden White to fly out and end Toledo’s scoring threat. 

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

NIU trailed for the entirety of the game, and did not score its first run until the seventh inning, to cut the deficit to seven runs. 

In the top half of the eighth inning, the Huskies’ offense came alive and exploded for six runs in the frame. 

Freshman outfielder Charlie Parcell knocked in the first run of the inning, scoring senior infielder Aaron Harper on an RBI single. 

Two batters later, senior outfielder/infielder Parker Shupe clubbed a pinch- hit, three- run home run to cut Toledo’s lead to 8-5. 

Shupe’s pinch hit home run was his first home run of the season, his second hit of the season and his first home run since May 19, 2023. 

Senior infielder Eric Erato and senior outfielder/catcher Colin Summerhill followed Shupe’s home run with back-to-back walks to bring up senior infielder Mason Kelley.

Kelley drove Erato and Summerhill in with a two-run double to make it a one-run ballgame. The Huskies’ rally came up just short, failing to score another run after Kelley’s double and falling to a final score of 8-7.

NIU will conclude its series against Toledo at noon CT Saturday at Scott Park in Toledo, Ohio. Live stats will be available via SIDEARM Stats.