Eastern Michigan Athletics
NIU Knocks-off Toledo 11-10
Rockets eliminated form the MAC Tournament
Box score
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Powered by big plays, the No. 5 seed Northern Illinois University eliminated No. 6 seed University of Toledo in an 11-10 back-and-forth slugfest, here Thursday afternoon, in the consolation round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Oestrike Stadium. The two squad’s combined for 12 extra-base hits and 29 total hits. NIU’s Scott Simon posted three hits in the contest including his 317th career hit, a MAC record. UT’s Jake Oester connected on two triples in the contest setting a MAC Tournament record.
Justin Behm led the Huskie offense with five RBI, including a grand-slam home run in the third inning. Tim Kamin connected on a three-run pinch hit home run and Matt Behren added three hits for NIU.
For the Rockets, Josh Colliver and Jake Swint registered three hits apiece, with Swint adding three RBI and a home run.
Andy Deain (6-1) picked-up the victory after working one and 2/3 innings in relief, while Justin Collop (4-2) earned the loss, allowing three earned runs without registering an out.
The Rockets posted the contest’s first runs in the top of the second inning. Back-to-back singles followed by back-to-back hit batters allowed a run to advance home. Tim Krofcheck reached on an error, as one run scored and another runner was thrown out at third base for the first out of the inning. An RBI single by Swint accounted for the third run of the inning, giving UT an early 3-0 advantage.
Jordin Hood got the Huskies on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI double. Behm’s grand slam gave NIU a 5-3 lead after three innings of play.
UT knotted it up at 5-5 with Swint’s two-run blast in the fourth.
Each notched a run in the fifth frame. The Rocket’s Oester tripled to start the innings and scored on an RBI single by Colliver. NIU’s Simon scored on a grounder, after reaching with a double, to tie it up at 6-6.
Toledo pulled ahead with three runs in the sixth inning highlighted by Oester’s two-run triple. NIU answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame off an RBI single by Pat Minogue to cut the UT advantage to 9-7.
A pinch-hit three-run home run by Kamin in the seventh put the Huskies back on top with a 10-9 lead.
NIU’s Simon singled to open the eighth inning, breaking the league hit record. He later scored on a ground out to extend the Huskie advantage to 11-9.
UT added a run in the ninth and loaded the base with one out, but a 4-6-3 double played ended the contest and the Rocket’s season.
With the win, NIU advances to face the loser of the Kent State University-Miami University match-up, Friday, May 25, at 1 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Powered by big plays, the No. 5 seed Northern Illinois University eliminated No. 6 seed University of Toledo in an 11-10 back-and-forth slugfest, here Thursday afternoon, in the consolation round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Oestrike Stadium. The two squad’s combined for 12 extra-base hits and 29 total hits. NIU’s Scott Simon posted three hits in the contest including his 317th career hit, a MAC record. UT’s Jake Oester connected on two triples in the contest setting a MAC Tournament record.
Justin Behm led the Huskie offense with five RBI, including a grand-slam home run in the third inning. Tim Kamin connected on a three-run pinch hit home run and Matt Behren added three hits for NIU.
For the Rockets, Josh Colliver and Jake Swint registered three hits apiece, with Swint adding three RBI and a home run.
Andy Deain (6-1) picked-up the victory after working one and 2/3 innings in relief, while Justin Collop (4-2) earned the loss, allowing three earned runs without registering an out.
The Rockets posted the contest’s first runs in the top of the second inning. Back-to-back singles followed by back-to-back hit batters allowed a run to advance home. Tim Krofcheck reached on an error, as one run scored and another runner was thrown out at third base for the first out of the inning. An RBI single by Swint accounted for the third run of the inning, giving UT an early 3-0 advantage.
Jordin Hood got the Huskies on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI double. Behm’s grand slam gave NIU a 5-3 lead after three innings of play.
UT knotted it up at 5-5 with Swint’s two-run blast in the fourth.
Each notched a run in the fifth frame. The Rocket’s Oester tripled to start the innings and scored on an RBI single by Colliver. NIU’s Simon scored on a grounder, after reaching with a double, to tie it up at 6-6.
Toledo pulled ahead with three runs in the sixth inning highlighted by Oester’s two-run triple. NIU answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame off an RBI single by Pat Minogue to cut the UT advantage to 9-7.
A pinch-hit three-run home run by Kamin in the seventh put the Huskies back on top with a 10-9 lead.
NIU’s Simon singled to open the eighth inning, breaking the league hit record. He later scored on a ground out to extend the Huskie advantage to 11-9.
UT added a run in the ninth and loaded the base with one out, but a 4-6-3 double played ended the contest and the Rocket’s season.
With the win, NIU advances to face the loser of the Kent State University-Miami University match-up, Friday, May 25, at 1 p.m.