The Northern Illinois University baseball team split a doubleheader Saturday at Oestrike Stadium against the Eastern Michigan Eagles, winning the series with a 17-1 seven-inning victory in game two. The Eagles took the opener 13-3 in eight innings.

“It was a good response after getting it handed to us by Eastern Michigan in game one,” said head coach Ryan Copeland about the Huskies’ win in game two. “We just had to go win the series at that point. Eastern was playing for a lot so we knew they were going to give a good effort there in game one. We got a great start from Carter [Cox) in game two and we were impressive again offensively. It’s a really good series win and it keeps us alive going into next weekend.”

NIU (18-29, 7-17 MAC) put a crooked number on the board in the second inning of game two. Ben Loyd (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kaskaskia College) led off with a single followed by a CJ Cepicky (St. Louis, Mo./Missouri) walk. Kyle Hartmann (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) ripped a single through the left side to bring home Loyd and put the Huskies up 1-0. Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) then hit a single to right field that scored Cepicky from second base to make the score 2-0. Logan Gregorio (Naperville, Ill./Benedictine) put a third run on the ledger with an RBI groundout.

Carter Cox (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt South) struck out the side in the bottom of the first, then retired the first two batters he faced in the second inning. Ty Stecko put Eastern Michigan on the scoreboard with a home run over the left field wall to make the score 3-1. Cox struck out Brendan Kleiman to end the inning.

The Huskies exploded for seven runs in the top of the third to take a 10-1 lead. NIU’s first six batters all reached base, starting with back-to-back walks to Will Couchman (Edina, Minn./NIACC) and Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry). An error allowed Loyd to reach first and load the bases. Cepicky drove in Couchman with a perfectly placed pop-up single just inside the right field line. Hartmann followed with a two-run single to make the score 6-1. Gregorio’s second RBI groundout of the game extended the NIU lead to 7-1. After JP Gauthier (De Pere, Wis./Illinois State) was hit by a pitch, Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO) cleared the bases with a three-run double.

Cox did his part on the mound, striking out two Eagles in a perfect third inning. NIU put two more runs on the board in the fourth when a two-out error made the score 12-1. EMU had runners at the corners in the bottom of the fourth but did not score as Hartmann threw out a base stealer and Cox got a flyout to end the inning.

“Carter has shown flashes of dominance all year and he keeps getting better and better every single time he goes out there,” Copeland said of the freshman left-hander. “He was able to pitch inside with his fastball and threw his breaking ball for strikes. He gave us six strong innings which we needed after a tough game one.”

Parcell drove in two runs in the top of the sixth with a double down the right field line that put NIU up 14-1. The Huskies added three more runs in the seventh on back-to-back RBI doubles from Cohn and Loyd and a Cepicky RBI single to make the final score 17-1.

“We’ve learned some tough lessons this year about what can happen when you let your foot off the gas,” said Copeland. “Our offense was relentless tonight, just as it was yesterday and most of the season. It’s really nice to compliment that with a really good start and errorless defense. You want to play your best baseball down the stretch and hopefully we can keep this going against Illinois State and Toledo next week.”

Cox set season-highs with six innings and nine strikeouts, allowing just one run on three hits with two walks. In his last three starts, Cox is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 16 innings. Baldwin was 4-for-5 with three RBI in the nightcap. Parcell and Hartmann also drove in three runs. Cohn, Loyd, Cepicky and Hartmann were a combined 9-for-16 at the plate in game two with seven RBI and 13 runs scored.

Eastern Michigan (18-23, 10-14 MAC) took the lead in the bottom of the second inning of game one. With runners at the corners and one out, a passed ball allowed Devan Zirwas to score and put the Eagles up 1-0. Ty Brachbill (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville) got a flyout for the second out but a John Hale double scored Bruce Jellison to give EMU a 2-0 lead. NIU got a run back in the top of the third when a Baldwin single drove in Parcell from second base with two outs to make the score 2-1.

The Eagles broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning. Eastern Michigan scored eight runs on five hits, starting with a three-run double by Cooper Vance. Ty Stecko capped the scoring with a two-out, two-run double that made the score 10-1. NIU got back on the board in the top of the seventh. Cepicky and Parcell both reached base on walks. With two outs in the inning Gregorio hit his first triple of the year to clear the bases and make the score 10-3. EMU responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to go back up nine at 12-3, then won the game 13-3 in the eighth on a bases loaded walk.

The Huskies scored their three runs on five hits. Parcell was 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored. Freshmen relievers Jack Olson (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) and Alex Graber (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) each threw a scoreless inning of relief in the game.

NIU opens a four-game homestand on Tuesday, May 6 with a 2 p.m. game against Illinois State at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt & Janice Owens Park.