DeKALB — The NIU baseball team had a four-game weekend series as they took on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Cougars and got swept in the series. 

”We were one pitch, one at-bat [and] one play away in each game,” Head Coach Mike Kunigonis said. “We battled but didn’t get it done.”

Friday

The Huskies (2-9) dropped their first game of the series Friday afternoon, 4-2.

NIU got off to a strong start as junior infielder Jesus Tovar III hit a single into right field, knocking in senior infielder Tommy Hook. Shortly afterward, the Cougars took the lead back on a RBI single into left field from senior infielder Alec Skender, which scored two runs for the Cougars.

The Huskies got contributions from sophomore pitcher William Anderson and junior pitcher George Faue, who gave up two runs on five hits in eight innings combined. Anderson was credited with the loss to move his record to 0-3 on the short season.

The Huskies attempted a comeback in the sixth inning as junior infielder Brad Wood and Tovar led off with back-to-back singles with junior infielder Samuel Vega driving in Wood with a sacrifice fly. However, that’s all they would get as Cougars’ junior pitcher Mason McReaken came in and closed out the game for the Cougars.

Saturday Morning

The Huskies played the first game of their doubleheader Saturday and fell to the Cougars, 5-3.

The Cougars (8-4) scored first as junior first baseman Jared McCunn hit an RBI single to knock in two runs, but later in the first inning, the Cougars lined a shot to Wood at second base, who caught the ball for the first out, beat the runner at second base for the second out and threw the ball over to Hook at first base to beat the runner for a triple play.

The Huskies tied the game in the fifth inning as they tacked on two runs after a pair of doubles by junior outfielder Roderick Bynum and freshman catcher Jacob Dunham. The Cougars answered in the bottom of the fifth as they took advantage of a couple errors and a two-run home run by their senior infielder Keaton Wright. The Huskies were unable to make a comeback and fell in game two, 5-3.

Saturday Afternoon

In the second game of the day, the Cougars got their third win of the weekend, beating the Huskies, 9-7.

The Huskies got on the board in the first inning on a hit-by-pitch from senior infielder Carl Russell, which resulted in a run. NIU scored again in the fourth inning on a single from junior catcher Joe Jumonville to score two more runs. In the fourth, the Huskies had two home runs as Jumonville launched a solo shot and Wood added with a three-run shot.

The Cougars clawed back, scoring a run in the first three innings and added four more in the fourth, making it 7-3 after four innings. They finished off the Huskies by adding another pair of runs in the seventh off a two-out, RBI hit from Skender off senior pitcher Ryne Blanton to win the game.

Sunday

The Cougars finished off a four-game series sweep of the Huskies on Sunday afternoon as they won in a close game, 4-3.

The first scoring of the day came from the Cougars in the bottom of the fifth inning as junior outfielder Dustin Woodcock and Wright both knocked in a run off a pair of singles.

In the top of the seventh, the Huskies got two home runs from Dunham and Bynum to give the Huskies the lead, 3-2.

After losing the lead, the Cougars scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning to give the Huskies junior pitcher Andrew Frankenreider his first loss of the season, 4-3.

“We have to continue to work, stick to the process and keep working hard,” Kunigonis said. “Baseball is a game of failure; we just have to keep at it.”

The Huskies will face Big Ten Conference opponent the University of Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3) 3:05 p.m. Tuesday in Iowa City, Iowa.

Ryan OstrySports WriterDeKALB — The NIU baseball team had a four-game weekend series as they took on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Cougars and got swept in the series.”We were one pitch, one at-bat [and] one play away in each game,” Head Coach Mike Kunigonis said. “We battled but didn’t get it done.” 

FridayThe Huskies (2-9) dropped their first game of the series Friday afternoon, 4-2.NIU got off to a strong start as junior infielder Jesus Tovar III hit a single into right field, knocking in senior infielder Tommy Hook. Shortly afterward, the Cougars took the lead back on a RBI single into left field from senior infielder Alec Skender, which scored two runs for the Cougars.The Huskies got contributions from sophomore pitcher William Anderson and junior pitcher George Faue, who gave up two runs on five hits in eight innings combined. Anderson was credited with the loss to move his record to 0-3 on the short season.The Huskies attempted a comeback in the sixth inning as junior infielder Brad Wood and Tovar led off with back-to-back singles with junior infielder Samuel Vega driving in Wood with a sacrifice fly. However, that’s all they would get as Cougars’ junior pitcher Mason McReaken came in and closed out the game for the Cougars.

Saturday MorningThe Huskies played the first game of their doubleheader Saturday and fell to the Cougars, 5-3.The Cougars (8-4) scored first as junior first baseman Jared McCunn hit an RBI single to knock in two runs, but later in the first inning, the Cougars lined a shot to Wood at second base, who caught the ball for the first out, beat the runner at second base for the second out and threw the ball over to Hook at first base to beat the runner for a triple play.The Huskies tied the game in the fifth inning as they tacked on two runs after a pair of doubles by junior outfielder Roderick Bynum and freshman catcher Jacob Dunham. The Cougars answered in the bottom of the fifth as they took advantage of a couple errors and a two-run home run by their senior infielder Keaton Wright. The Huskies were unable to make a comeback and fell in game two, 5-3.

Saturday AfternoonIn the second game of the day, the Cougars got their third win of the weekend, beating the Huskies, 9-7.The Huskies got on the board in the first inning on a hit-by-pitch from senior infielder Carl Russell, which resulted in a run. NIU scored again in the fourth inning on a single from junior catcher Joe Jumonville to score two more runs. In the fourth, the Huskies had two home runs as Jumonville launched a solo shot and Wood added with a three-run shot.The Cougars clawed back, scoring a run in the first three innings and added four more in the fourth, making it 7-3 after four innings. They finished off the Huskies by adding another pair of runs in the seventh off a two-out, RBI hit from Skender off senior pitcher Ryne Blanton to win the game.

SundayThe Cougars finished off a four-game series sweep of the Huskies on Sunday afternoon as they won in a close game, 4-3.The first scoring of the day came from the Cougars in the bottom of the fifth inning as junior outfielder Dustin Woodcock and Wright both knocked in a run off a pair of singles.In the top of the seventh, the Huskies got two home runs from Dunham and Bynum to give the Huskies the lead, 3-2.After losing the lead, the Cougars scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning to give the Huskies junior pitcher Andrew Frankenreider his first loss of the season, 4-3.“We have to continue to work, stick to the process and keep working hard,” Kunigonis said. “Baseball is a game of failure; we just have to keep at it.” The Huskies will face Big Ten Conference opponent the University of Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3) 3:05 p.m. Tuesday in Iowa City, Iowa.