The NIU baseball team took two steps forward when it reached .500 last week.

But then it took two steps back by being swept at Eastern Michigan this weekend.

NIU (21-23, 8-10) scored in the first inning of every game, but was unable to sustain the early momentum and fell by scores of 9-8, 7-3, and 6-4.

EMU (25-17, 12-6) rode the broad shoulders of a starting pitching staff that worked into the eighth inning of every game.

“Their pitchers did a good job of hitting their locations,” NIU coach Ed Mathey said. “We didn’t do the best job of adjusting to what they were doing. They located outside, and we didn’t hit the ball the other way.”

Sophomore second baseman Josh Ivan led off the inning with a double for the Eagles.

A throwing error by junior relief pitcher Mark Badgley (0-3) on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore left fielder Shane Davis allowed Ivan to score from second base.

NIU shortstop Bobby Stevens led of the third inning with his third home run of the season. The freshman from Chicago increased the NIU lead to 4-1.

“We’ve moved Bobby up to the second spot in the order,” Mathey said. “He has the kind of talent that we envision him being a top of the order hitter.”

A three-run third inning — powered by 7 first baseman Steve Bradshaw’s two-run homer — brought EMU even at 4-4.

A three-run shot in the fifth off the bat of junior designated hitter Derek Lehrman gave EMU a 7-4 lead that they would not relinquish.

Both teams pounded out 12 hits, and Stevens and junior designated hitter Brian Smith each had three hit games.

“We know we can play baseball,” Mathey said. “Now, we just need to go out and do it consistently. For some of our young guys this might be there first experience being in the race, we’ve proven we can play now we just need to execute and go out there and make plays.”

Saturday’s contest featured fewer offensive fireworks, as each team scattered five hits.

EMU sophomore shortstop Jeff Hehr collected three of his squads’ five hits, scored three runs, and tallied four RBI.

The three-run EMU fourth proved to be the decisive inning. A two-out, two-RBI double from Hehr proved to be all the offense EMU would need.

On Sunday, a first-inning walk to Stevens set the table for junior first baseman Scott Simon to blast his fifth home run of the season.

Simon is now tied for second all-time on the NIU hit list with 233.