Taylor Nawrocki
The Northern Illinois baseball team amassed 10 hits against Central Michigan Friday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field, but left eight runners on base and fell 11-2.
Alex Jones (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a triple, a run and an RBI.
“We got some hits today but we weren’t able to get them across the plate. We twice left runners on second and third and in instances like that, you have to take advantage of those golden opportunities,” said head coach Ed Mathey. “We knew were a little short handed in our bullpen with our midweek games but we needed a little bit more from them today.”
The Chippewas took the lead in the top of the second inning with a single run and tacked on three in the third to take a 4-0 lead.
Northern Illinois stormed back in the bottom half of the inning started by a single up the middle by Jamison Wells (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) and followed by Jones fourth triple of the season. Troy White (Chicago/Whitney Young) sacrificed to right field, his sixth of the season, to score Jones and cut the lead in half, 4-2.
Both the Huskies and Chips were scoreless for the next three innings but NIU left runners on second and third in the fourth and another on first in the sixth inning and were unable to take the lead in the game.
CMU scored two in the seventh and NIU again left runners on second and third to keep the deficit to four runs, 6-2. Central Michigan scored five runs in the top of the ninth and the game ended 11-2.
Starting pitcher Taylor Nawrocki (Fairmont, Minn./Granada-Huntley-East Chain) went eight innings in the game and was unshaken through the contest, striking out five in the effort and hurling 125 pitches (76 strikes).
The Huskies (14-31, 7-12 MAC) return to the diamond Saturday afternoon for game two of the series with Central Michigan. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
For more information on NIU baseball and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
