NIU’s baseball team had thought its Monday home-opening doubleheader against the Chicago State Cougars would feature its first victory in 1991.

The victory-deprived Huskies had thought that because they played the Cougars so competitively in a March 21 meeting, a win on Monday could be attained.

Think again, Huskies.

CSU made NIU’s homecoming a most unpleasant one as it won 10-7 and 8-5, respectively, in front of 108 fans at the Huskie Diamond. NIU’s record dropped to 0-16.

The first game saw the Huskies battle back and forth with the Cougars, as there were three lead changes. But with the score tied at five in the fifth inning, CSU went ahead to stay.

CSU centerfielder Mark Owens started the inning with a double off losing pitcher Jim Gurney (0-2), who came on in relief of starter Paul Schimbke in the fourth. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Owens was able to score on catcher Mark Winston’s single.

Winston’s single also moved a runner to third. With two out, pinch hitter Dan Lewis tapped to Gurney. Gurney fielded the ball cleanly, but threw wildly to first, enabling the runner on third to score.

Gurney’s error wasn’t the only one of the game committed by NIU; it had a total of six. NIU head coach Joe “Spanky” McFarland said the errors tilted the game in favor of the Cougars.

“There are three things in this game you need to win: pitching, hitting and defense,” McFarland said. “We got the pitching and the hitting, but the defense wasn’t there.

“I thought in the first ballgame we got good pitching. (CSU had) six unearned runs. You can’t win like that. We’re not good enough to make errors and win.”

NIU didn’t allow as many unearned runs in the second game as it did the first, but CSU scored enough earned runs to compensate. CSU counterbalanced its loss of gift runs with home runs.

With two out in the third, losing starting pitcher Josh Brown (0-4) gave up home runs to first baseman Charlton Moore and designated hitter Chris Long in successive order. CSU ended its half of the third with a 4-1 lead.

With the score tied at four in the fourth inning, and Bernard Lee on in relief of Brown, CSU’s third baseman Eric Long singled with the bases loaded. The hit scored two runs. For the inning, CSU tallied four runs.

NIU scored its final run of the afternoon in its half of the fourth inning. After a scoreless fifth, the game was called because of darkness.