Non-conference games are what coach Dave Schrage and the NIU baseball team have excelled at, but Wednesday afternoon saw the Huskies let an opportunity slip through their hands.

Visiting Charleston for a doubleheader against Eastern Illinois, NIU had a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 1, but lost 7-6. The Huskies split the double dip, though, scoring a come-from-behind 8-6 win in Game 2, ending a seven-game winning streak for EIU.

In the first match-up, NIU started off the scoring in the top of the fourth with four runs. Bilal Omar sparked the inning with a two-run double, while the Huskies’ other two runs came off of errors. Then Eastern scored three runs in their half of the fourth inning.

NIU responded with a run in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead, only to have Eastern spring right back with two runs to even the game at five apiece.

The Huskies would go ahead again in the sixth by plating home a run off a Pat Kerrigan sacrifice fly. But Eastern returned in the bottom of the seventh with two runs to take the game.

Brian Miller took the loss for the Huskies, walking in the winning run.

In Game 2, NIU scored right away in the first inning, as if trying to get over a heartbreaking loss. However, Eastern also was looking for the kill as it attacked NIU starting pitcher Steve Sankey, scoring five runs in the first inning.

Little by little though, NIU squeaked back into the game. In the third inning, Jason Ciarrachi pulled the Huskies to within a pair with a two-run single. To start off the fourth, NIU got back-to-back homers from John Brock and Kyle Kimme and tied the game.

Later in that inning, Dan Urban and Ciarrachi each drove in runs as the Huskies took the lead for good.

“The back-to-back home runs by Brock and Kimme got us going,” Schrage said. “The key was Nathan Stillwell. He came in and threw four shutout innings and kept them at bay.”