The NIU baseball team has seen this movie before.

After giving up a walk-off homer Sunday in a loss to Eastern Michigan, the Huskies suffered two heartbreaking defeats Tuesday at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

NIU twice took leads into the sixth inning at Henry Aaron Field, but twice came out of the frame trailing, with the Panthers coming out on top in each game, 5-2 and 6-4 respectively.

“It’s a story that we’ve seen unfortunately a few times this year,” said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. “We’re playing good up until the other team’s last at bat. We just don’t close it out.”

There was only supposed to be one contest, but with both teams having a lot of rainouts recently, the coaches decided on making it a doubleheader, with both games being seven innings. With it being the last week of classes at NIU, some players, including leading hitter Jordin Hood, weren’t able to make the trip because of exams and other things related with their classes.

The Huskies (15-27, 6-11 MAC) were able to get off to a hot start in game one.

NIU had its first two batters reach base in the top of the first when Joe Buonavolanto and Troy White singled. First baseman Dave Reynolds then flied out to right plating Buonavolanto, who had advanced to third on White’s hit. White then scored on Nick Badgley’s single after advancing to third on a wild pitch.

But the Huskies only managed one hit the rest of the game while UWM starter Cuyler Franzke and three relievers held them scoreless.

“We weren’t centering the ball up,” Mathey said. “We weren’t hitting it the other way as well as we have.”

NIU starter Jake Hermsen cruised through the first five innings, but hit a wall in the fifth, where the Panthers (18-19, 8-4 Horizon) got to him for five runs with the help of a Tim Patzman two-run homer.

NIU was able to bring the tying run to the plate against Milwaukee closer Craig Meier in the top of the ninth, but Buonavolanto lined out to center to end the game.

The Huskies entered the sixth inning of game two with a 4-3 lead. Starting pitcher Dave Reynolds gave up a leadoff single to Milwaukee catcher Josh Groves, and after retiring the next batter walked Shawn Wozniak. With two men on, Paul Hoenecke deposited a Reynolds pitch over the right field fence to give the Panthers a lead which they would keep.

“He got it up into the jet stream and it cleared the fence,” Mathey said.

NIU will take on Valparaiso Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Ralph McKinzie Field.