Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, April 25
DeKalb, Ill.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-28, 6-17
8
at
11
Northern Illinois
25-12, 16-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 0 |
| Northern Ill. | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | X | 11 | 12 | 1 |
Stecko and Crane Shine in High-Scoring Loss at NIU
4/25/2026 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
Stecko homered twice and Crane recorded four hits
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – Ty Stecko hit two home runs, and Tristan Crane had four hits as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell 11-8 to Northern Illinois University in the second game of a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Ralph McKinzie Field Saturday, April 25.
Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) has homered in three straight games, the only Eagle to do so this season, as a six-run fourth inning proved costly for EMU. Along with Stecko, Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi) powered the EMU offense with his second consecutive four-hit day, going 4-for-5 with one double, one RBI, and two runs scored.
How it Happened
The Eagles jumped ahead early, as Stecko delivered a two-run home run in the top of the first, scoring Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) to stake Eastern Michigan to a 2-0 lead. The Huskies responded in the third, tying the score with a pair of RBI hits. The turning point came in the bottom of the fourth, as NIU sent 10 batters to the plate and erupted for six runs on four hits, aided by two hit batters and two walks, flipping the game to an 8-2 deficit for EMU.
Eastern Michigan chipped away in the sixth inning, with Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) driving in Crane on a sacrifice fly and Stecko launching his second home run of the day, a solo shot. NIU tacked on another run in the bottom half, but the Eagles mounted a late rally in the seventh. John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) homered to left, Crane drove in one run with a double, and Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) added an RBI double to cut the deficit to two runs at 9-7.
NIU answered with a two-run homer from Vinny Spotofora in the eighth, extending its lead to 11-7. In the ninth, Nick Weaver (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood/Elgin C.C.) singled home Stecko for EMU's final run, but the Huskies closed out the contest. The Eagles outhit NIU 15-12 but could not overcome the decisive fourth inning.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record dropped to 12-28 (6-17 MAC), and Northern Illinois' improved to 25-12 (16-7 MAC).
» EMU tied a season-high with three home runs for the fifth time this season and had an individual homer twice in one game for the fourth time.
» Eastern recorded six extra-base hits, its third-highest total of the season for the third consecutive game. EMU has knocked six or more extra-base hits for the third straight game for the first time this season.
» The Eagles had double-digit hits (15) for the 14th time this season and the third consecutive contest. The stretch is the second of the season where EMU has 10+ hits in three-straight games after it did so in a sweep against Central Michigan, March 27-29. EMU's 15 hits tied its third-highest single-game total this season, matching March 15 at Ball State and April 12 vs. UMass.
» Eastern has recorded 15 hits in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
» EMU outhit its foe for the 12th time this season, producing a 7-5 record in such games.
» Ty Stecko homered for the third consecutive game for the first time in his career as he is the only Eagle to accomplish the feat this season. He has homered in consecutive first innings after going deep to put EMU up 2-0 in Friday's series opener, April 24. The blast moved him to 19 career home runs in 82 career games as an Eagle. Stecko went 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBI, his 11th game with two or more RBI this season. He is eight RBI away from 100 in his NCAA career as he totals 92. Stecko's performance marked his team-best 12th with multiple hits.
» Ty Stecko recorded his second two-homer game of the season after doing so in a 7-6 win at Austin Peay, Feb. 20, 2026. The occasion marks the first season in which Stecko has notched multiple two-homer outings, as he totals three in his EMU career, with 20 home runs overall, tying for 15th in program history by value. Additionally, he is the only Eagle with multiple two-homer contests in 2026.
» Tristan Crane secured his fourth consecutive multi-hit game and sixth of the season, extending his hitting streak to a career-best seven games, currently the longest on the team. He finished the day 4-for-5 with one double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Crane's four hits tie his career high as he is the only Eagle with multiple games of four or more hits in 2026.
» Devan Zirwas went 2-for-5 at the plate with one run, marking his 11th multi-hit game of the year. He doubled for the 11th time, marking his team-best 25th extra-base hit of the season. He is one double away from tying for 20th in program history as he totals 31 two-baggers in the Script E.
» John Hale homered for the career-best fifth time this season and registered his 11th multi-hit game. Hale is up to nine homers in his Eastern career as he has exceeded his 2025 extra-base hit total (13) by four with 17.
» Nathan Borchardt totaled two hits and one RBI, marking his eighth multi-hit game of the campaign and third consecutive game doing so. The stretch marks the catcher's first time with three straight multi-hit games as an Eagle.
» Ethan Rowland (Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes/St. Peter's) tossed a season-long 1.2 innings and recorded his fifth scoreless appearance of the season and third in his last four outings.
Historical Notes
» EMU and NIU met for the 145th time as it holds an 84-61 record against the Huskies and 21-20 mark when facing them in DeKalb.
» Tristan Crane is the first Eagle to record consecutive games with four hits since Giano Zuccaro did so in the 2024 season against Morehead State, March 17, and Michigan, March 19.
» Ty Stecko is the first Eagle to homer in three-straight games since Brendan Kleiman did so in the final three games of the 2024 season against Northern Illinois, May 16-18.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies conclude the series tomorrow, Sunday, April 26. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET in DeKalb, Ill.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) has homered in three straight games, the only Eagle to do so this season, as a six-run fourth inning proved costly for EMU. Along with Stecko, Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi) powered the EMU offense with his second consecutive four-hit day, going 4-for-5 with one double, one RBI, and two runs scored.
How it Happened
The Eagles jumped ahead early, as Stecko delivered a two-run home run in the top of the first, scoring Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) to stake Eastern Michigan to a 2-0 lead. The Huskies responded in the third, tying the score with a pair of RBI hits. The turning point came in the bottom of the fourth, as NIU sent 10 batters to the plate and erupted for six runs on four hits, aided by two hit batters and two walks, flipping the game to an 8-2 deficit for EMU.
Eastern Michigan chipped away in the sixth inning, with Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) driving in Crane on a sacrifice fly and Stecko launching his second home run of the day, a solo shot. NIU tacked on another run in the bottom half, but the Eagles mounted a late rally in the seventh. John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) homered to left, Crane drove in one run with a double, and Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) added an RBI double to cut the deficit to two runs at 9-7.
NIU answered with a two-run homer from Vinny Spotofora in the eighth, extending its lead to 11-7. In the ninth, Nick Weaver (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood/Elgin C.C.) singled home Stecko for EMU's final run, but the Huskies closed out the contest. The Eagles outhit NIU 15-12 but could not overcome the decisive fourth inning.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record dropped to 12-28 (6-17 MAC), and Northern Illinois' improved to 25-12 (16-7 MAC).
» EMU tied a season-high with three home runs for the fifth time this season and had an individual homer twice in one game for the fourth time.
» Eastern recorded six extra-base hits, its third-highest total of the season for the third consecutive game. EMU has knocked six or more extra-base hits for the third straight game for the first time this season.
» The Eagles had double-digit hits (15) for the 14th time this season and the third consecutive contest. The stretch is the second of the season where EMU has 10+ hits in three-straight games after it did so in a sweep against Central Michigan, March 27-29. EMU's 15 hits tied its third-highest single-game total this season, matching March 15 at Ball State and April 12 vs. UMass.
» Eastern has recorded 15 hits in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
» EMU outhit its foe for the 12th time this season, producing a 7-5 record in such games.
» Ty Stecko homered for the third consecutive game for the first time in his career as he is the only Eagle to accomplish the feat this season. He has homered in consecutive first innings after going deep to put EMU up 2-0 in Friday's series opener, April 24. The blast moved him to 19 career home runs in 82 career games as an Eagle. Stecko went 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBI, his 11th game with two or more RBI this season. He is eight RBI away from 100 in his NCAA career as he totals 92. Stecko's performance marked his team-best 12th with multiple hits.
» Ty Stecko recorded his second two-homer game of the season after doing so in a 7-6 win at Austin Peay, Feb. 20, 2026. The occasion marks the first season in which Stecko has notched multiple two-homer outings, as he totals three in his EMU career, with 20 home runs overall, tying for 15th in program history by value. Additionally, he is the only Eagle with multiple two-homer contests in 2026.
» Tristan Crane secured his fourth consecutive multi-hit game and sixth of the season, extending his hitting streak to a career-best seven games, currently the longest on the team. He finished the day 4-for-5 with one double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Crane's four hits tie his career high as he is the only Eagle with multiple games of four or more hits in 2026.
» Devan Zirwas went 2-for-5 at the plate with one run, marking his 11th multi-hit game of the year. He doubled for the 11th time, marking his team-best 25th extra-base hit of the season. He is one double away from tying for 20th in program history as he totals 31 two-baggers in the Script E.
» John Hale homered for the career-best fifth time this season and registered his 11th multi-hit game. Hale is up to nine homers in his Eastern career as he has exceeded his 2025 extra-base hit total (13) by four with 17.
» Nathan Borchardt totaled two hits and one RBI, marking his eighth multi-hit game of the campaign and third consecutive game doing so. The stretch marks the catcher's first time with three straight multi-hit games as an Eagle.
» Ethan Rowland (Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes/St. Peter's) tossed a season-long 1.2 innings and recorded his fifth scoreless appearance of the season and third in his last four outings.
Historical Notes
» EMU and NIU met for the 145th time as it holds an 84-61 record against the Huskies and 21-20 mark when facing them in DeKalb.
» Tristan Crane is the first Eagle to record consecutive games with four hits since Giano Zuccaro did so in the 2024 season against Morehead State, March 17, and Michigan, March 19.
» Ty Stecko is the first Eagle to homer in three-straight games since Brendan Kleiman did so in the final three games of the 2024 season against Northern Illinois, May 16-18.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies conclude the series tomorrow, Sunday, April 26. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET in DeKalb, Ill.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Danny Cihocki (4-2)
L: Rutherford, Cal (2-3)
S: Cooper Cohn (1)
Batting:
2B: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1
HR: Hale, John 1 ; Stecko, Ty 2
RBI: Hale, John 1 ; Stecko, Ty 3 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1 ; Weaver, Nick 1 ; Jones, Drew 1
SH: Schechterman, Ben 1
SF: Jones, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 1 ; Thigpen, Phillip 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 3 ; Crane, Tristan 2
HBP: Jellison, Bruce 1
Batting:
2B: Wyatt Wawro 2 ; Vinny Spotofora 1 ; Ivan Dahlberg 1
HR: Vinny Spotofora 1
RBI: Wyatt Wawro 2 ; Caden Robertson 2 ; Vinny Spotofora 5 ; Ivan Dahlberg 1 ; Will Couchman 1
SH: Nolan Sandee 1
SF: Caden Robertson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wyatt Wawro 3 ; Nolan Sandee 2 ; Vinny Spotofora 1 ; Gavin Baldwin 1 ; Ivan Dahlberg 1 ; Will Couchman 2 ; Cooper Cohn 1
SB: Wyatt Wawro 1
CS: Will Couchman 1
HBP: Nolan Sandee 1 ; Gavin Baldwin 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
4
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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