East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's baseball team faced Northern Illinois University in their first game of a three-game series at Oestrike Stadium. EMU launched a comeback attempt in the ninth inning but fell short, losing 12-9. The game took place on Friday, May 2.

Harrison Travis led EMU with three hits, including his eighth home run of the season, while Drew Beckner pitched 6.2 innings for the Eagles. NIU's Adam Brouwer was credited with the win and Danny Cihocki earned the save. Beckner took the loss.

Eastern Michigan's record is now 17-22 overall and 9-13 in the Mid-American Conference. Northern Illinois improved to 17-28 and 6-16 in the MAC.

Early pitching dominance in the first two innings led to zero runs on three hits between both teams. However, NIU scored four runs in the third inning. EMU responded with a five-run third inning with Travis and Devan Zirwas both hitting home runs.

NIU reclaimed the lead with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Facing Beckner's departure in the seventh inning, NIU increased their lead with another homer in the same inning. An additional home run in the eighth inning brought the Huskies ahead by six runs. Eastern's late effort to close the gap resulted in a loss to NIU.

The Eagles registered 11 hits, having reached double-digit hits for the 21st time this season. This is the 14th game where they recorded no errors. Travis marked his eighth home run and collected 28 RBI, setting NCAA career highs. EMU's third-inning effort was the peak of their scoring.

This contest was the 140th between EMU and NIU, with the Eagles leading the series. Following this defeat, EMU's longest current losing streak against NIU stands at four games.

The next game in the series will take place on Saturday, May 3, with free admission to Oestrike Stadium. The matchup is available for streaming on ESPN+.