With one out in the final inning of a doubleheader, Bradley was attempting to send the game into extra innings.

Down by four runs, the Braves loaded the bases. The Huskies felt the game was still in their control, but NIU knew it didn’t have any time to waste.

Understanding the situation, NIU head coach Ed Mathey brought in pitcher Tom Zelasko. The sophomore induced the Braves’ batter to swing at the first pitch. The result: a grounder hit to the infield. NIU took the ground ball and turned it into a double-play, earning the four-run victory.

“You couldn’t ask for more,” Mathey said of Zelasko’s performance. “One pitch, two outs – it was awesome.”

While NIU won the second half of the doubleheader 5-1, it was unable to sweep the two-game series, as it lost game one 3-2.

NIU (9-13) allowed only three hits to Bradley (6-12) in both games of the doubleheader. The Huskies relied on young starting pitchers in the two games, as they sent freshman pitcher Kyle Glancy onto the mound for game one and freshman Tom Barry in game two.

Barry carried a no-hitter for the Huskies through 5.1 innings before Braves second baseman Tommy Fitzgerald was able to knock a double.

Glancy also gave the Huskies a quality performance. Over five innings, the Oak Park native allowed only two hits and two earned runs while walking three base runners.

NIU was able to take the lead early in both games. The Huskies scored two runs in the third inning in both games.

While the Huskies were able to grab leads in both games, they struggled to keep pressure on the Braves in game one. Bradley picked up one run in the bottom of the third, and then tied the game in the bottom of the fourth.

In the second part of the sixth, the Braves’ left fielder, Nick Mitidiero hit a one-out single. Mitidiero then stole second and got to third on a Huskie throwing error. The left fielder eventually scored the Braves’ winning run on a wild pitch.

While Bradley was able to win the first game, Mathey felt that his team could have swept the series if it didn’t make base running errors.

In the second inning, the Huskies had hit a fair ball on a pop up in the infield. The runner could have easily advanced to second base but didn’t.

Later in the game, a Huskie batter hit the ball deep to the outfield. The Braves struggled fielding the ball. Mathey wanted the runner to leg out a triple, but he only went to second. The next batter then hit a deep fly ball, which would have scored NIU’s third run.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Mathey said. “If you’re playing a doubleheader, which are only seven innings, you want to be the first team to score and want to put pressure on the other team. We were able to score first in game one but couldn’t keep the pressure.”