The NIU baseball team continued to prove it can protect its home field this weekend.

The Huskies took 2-of-3 from Akron with a 4-2 victory on Friday and a rain-shortened 8-3 victory on Sunday. The Huskies loss came on Saturday in a 6-5 defeat to the Zips.

A seventh-inning rally culminated in a dramatic three-run home run to give NIU the win on Friday.

Down 1-2 going into the seventh, the Huskies needed a rally. Junior first baseman Scott Simon got the team started as he singled to left to lead off the inning. Senior right fielder Brian Toner worked the count and hit a line drive to right center that moved Simon to third.

And with weather conditions quickly deteriorating, Jesse Seykora launched a home run between the raindrops and over the left field fence. The junior third baseman leads NIU with three homers.

Simon and Toner were both 2-for-4, and exchanged jubilant high fives at the plate on Seykora’s round tripper.

NIU received a quality start from senior starting pitcher Nick Hall. The ace of the staff, Hall went seven innings, scattered six hits, walked five, struck out seven and improved to 3-2 on the season.

“I got ahead in the count early in the game,” Hall said. “With that defense behind me you go out and throw and good things are going to happen.”

Akron scored both their runs in the fourth. Sophomore first baseman Doug McNulty singled to lead off the inning, and moved to third on a single by junior-left fielder Charlie Lenhard. Senior center fielder Marcus Geiselman followed with a single that scored McNulty.

Akron went up 2-0 on a hit and run. Geiselman broke for second, freshman shortstop Bobby Stevens went to cover the bag and junior designated hitter Chase Liggett hit a ground ball right into the vacated area to score Lenhard.

Once NIU took a 4-2 lead, junior Mark Badgley and junior closer Matt German came in to shut the door. German picked up his fifth save of the season, and struck out two in the ninth inning.

On Saturday, Akron jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings and fended off several NIU rally’s for a 6-5 win.

Akron sophomore first baseman Kurt Davidson hit a towering three run home run in the second to give Akron a 5-0 lead. It is the sixth homer of the season for Davidson.

NIU scored two in the second on sacrifice fly’s by freshman catcher Matt Behren and Stevens.

A rally brewed in the third when Simon lead off with an opposite field solo home run, and Toner scored on Behren’s second sacrifice fly of the day. But that would be all NIU got in the inning.

Tom Farmer set down the NIU order 1-2-3 in the seventh, eight, and ninth to seal the victory.

Sunday, the Huskies jumped out of the gate with a seven-run first inning. The Huskies never relinquished their lead and the game was called after the seventh inning due to inclement weather.

“I was proud of our kids’ effort today because it was not easy to come back after yesterday’s disappointing loss and with the uncertainty of today’s weather conditions,” said NIU coach Ed Mathey.