Mark Badgley is only a freshman but he showed the composure of a upperclassmen to pull out his fourth save of the year in NIU’s 5-4 win over UIC Wednesday at Ralph McKinzie Field.

Badgley came in the ninth inning with a 5-3 lead before allowing hits to the first two batters and throwing the ball into center field on a pickoff attempt, putting both runners in scoring position.

After an RBI groundout by UIC’s J.P. Carey closed the margin to one run, Badgley got two key groundouts to give the Huskies the victory.

The Huskies (15-9) ended UIC’s (11-10) nine-game winning streak. NIU has won 11 of its last 13 games.

“UIC is a pretty good ballclub; they’re not gonna just walk away,” NIU coach Ed Mathey said. “That’s why closers in the Major Leagues get the money they do. They have to continue to make pitches in those situations.”

NIU center fielder Jeremy Busch reached base in all five plate appearances with three hits and two walks. He led off the bottom of the eighth frame with a triple into the left-center field gap and eventually scored on a Joe Mazzuca sacrifice fly. The run proved to be the game winner.

“I was just looking to get on base,” Busch said. “I was looking for a pitch to drive. The first pitch was a strike on the outside corner with a fastball and I think [UIC pitcher Eric Carlson] tried going outside again and he brought it over the middle of the plate and I just got my hands extended on it and drove it.”

Mazzuca went 1-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the first inning and the game winner in the eighth.

“Right now it’s very important,” Mazucca said of his game-deciding RBI. “At the time it was just a good insurance run for us to have. Then Badgley came in and he does what a typical closer does, makes it very interesting.”

In the fifth inning, Santoro knocked in Joe Mazucca with a sacrifice fly and pinch hitter Scott Simon drove in another run with a single up the middle to put the Huskies up 4-2 at the time.

With NIU up 2-0 in the third inning, Huskie starter Joe Piekarz found himself in a bases loaded, nobody out jam.

UIC second baseman Bryan Russo sent a lazy fly to right field where Mike Santoro dropped the ball allowing one run to cross home plate. However, he was able to force the runner at second. Piekarz then got out of the inning with the damage minimized, serving up an inning ending double-play grounder.

“I’m not happy with the way we played at all today,” UIC coach Mike Dee said. “We just didn’t get a big hit when we needed it today.”