Northern Illinois beats baseball 5-3 Sunday, CMU loses third-straight MAC series
A 3-1 lead in the seventh didn’t last long for the baseball team in its Sunday loss against Northern Illinois.
CMU dropped the game 5-3, going 1-2 in the weekend’s three-game series; it has yet to win a Mid-American Conference series.
“It was a great college baseball game,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. You’ve got to give them credit, though.”
The Chippewas trailed by one until the sixth when a triple from sophomore Pat MacKenzie brought in two runs to finally put his team on the scoreboard.
In the seventh, a single by freshman Neal Jacobs kept his team alive after freshman Logan Regnier flew out to center field and sophomore Tyler Huntey popped up to third base.
A double from sophomore Cody Leichman was enough to get Jacobs all the way home and extend CMU’s lead, but it would be the last run scored by the Chippewas.
Sophomore Matt Trowbridge came in to pitch for senior starter Rick Dodridge in the eighth, the inning where NIU tied up the game.
Trowbridge was able to strikeout the first two batters, but a double to right-center kept the Huskies alive, and they took full advantage of that chance.
A home run to left center followed the double and put NIU right back in the game.
“Unfortunately, that sequence tied the game up at 3-3,” Jaksa said. “I thought we played a hell of a game. I thought our kids battled. It’s just an unfortunate ending for us.”
Struggles from Trowbridge in the ninth walked in two runs, which CMU couldn’t make up for in its last chance at the plate.
Dodridge pitched seven innings, giving up seven hits and striking out seven batters.
“You couldn’t ask anyone to do anything better than that,” Jaksa said. “(And) I have a lot of trust in Matt. I think Matt does a great job for us … the toughest thing to do in life is not to let the outside get in. He’s a character kid and both those guys battled their butts off today. I would go into battle with them.”
Friday, Saturday
In the team’s 6-3 win Friday, sophomore pitcher Jordan Foley struck out a career-high 12 batters.
Foley gave up three runs and six hits over six and two-thirds of an inning and took a shutout into the seventh inning before Kenton San Miguel took over.
Foley was on the mound with his team holding a 5-0 lead before NIU got its first run.
A double by Landon Tenhagen brought the score to 5-3 and forced Foley from the game.
Jordan Adams’ third home run of the season came in the seventh inning to tack on another run for the Chippewas and provide a little cushion.
Northern Illinois pitcher Eli Anderson threw a complete game in the 7-2 win Saturday against CMU.
The Huskies took an early 1-0 lead, but CMU tied the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout by senior third baseman Jordan Adams.
NIU went ahead 2-1 in the top of the third after an error, and the fifth is where the Chippewas began to unravel.
Pitcher Dylan Rheault hit the leadoff batter with a pitch, and a passed ball advanced him to second. He was soon hit in to add another run for the Huskies.
NIU added three more in the inning, making the score 6-1.
CMU is next in action at 3:05 p.m. Wednesday against Oakland at Theunissen Stadium.
