After stumbling to an 0-3 start, the NIU baseball team got back on track at the Dunn Hospitality Baseball Classic Saturday.

A 4-2 victory over Evansville gave the Huskies their second-straight win and clinched the tournament title.

“Winning this tournament is a great thing for our young team,” said NIU coach Ed Mathey.

Senior outfielder Brian Toner had three of NIU’s nine hits to go along with two RBI’s in the win.

The Huskies kicked off the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Eastern Illinois Friday, behind seven shut-out innings by sophomore pitcher Brian Smith.

Smith struck out a career-high eight batters in the effort and was followed by two shut-out innings by the NIU bullpen.

“I felt good out there,” Smith said. “My change-up was working well, and I was able to throw strikes and put the ball in play.”

Scott Simon continues a strong rebound from an injury-plagued 2005 with a team-high two RBI’s against EIU. The NIU offense was in “small-ball mode,” knocking out seven singles, and stealing four bases.

The top of the lineup for NIU reached base in five-of-seven at bats.

With the tournament already clinched, the Huskies (2-4) closed out the set of games with a match-up with Wisconsin-Milwaukee Sunday.

The Huskies fell 9-8, but with their previous two victories, Sunday’s game had no bearing on the outcome of the tournament.

Toner had two hits in the game and has had a hit in each of the Huskies first six games.

Toner also added two runs and an RBI.

Toner said that he feels at comfortable at the plate so far this season.

“I feel real relaxed at the plate. I changed my swing a little bit from last year and it has really paid off,” Toner said.

Toner added that despite his team dropping its third game of the season, it played well.

“It was a see-saw battle. our bats got hot towards the middle innings, then we see-sawed back and forth.

Junior Mark Badgley took the loss in relief. Wisconsin-Milwaukee scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off Badgley.

The Huskies next series will come in a three-game set with Southern Illinois.

The Huskies will not play their first home game until March 28.

Sports Reporter James Nokes contributed to this article.