The University of Massachusetts baseball team split a doubleheader against Northern Illinois on April 3 at Earl Lorden Field. Massachusetts won the first game 4-0, while Northern Illinois took the second game in extra innings, winning 6-4 after eleven frames.
The outcome leaves UMass with a record of 6-16 overall and 2-12 in the Mid-American Conference. Northern Illinois now stands at 17-9 overall and holds a conference record of 9-5.
In the opening game, Vance Bonior led Massachusetts by going two-for-three, including his first home run of the season and two runs batted in. Anthony Tirado, Gavin O’Brien, Will Briggs, and Braden Sullivan each contributed hits. Callen Powers earned the win for UMass after pitching seven scoreless innings with ten strikeouts. Danny Cihocki took the loss for Northern Illinois.
During game two, Reece McCarthy had three hits and drove in two runs for Massachusetts. Ty Fox added two hits—including a double—and scored twice. The teams traded leads throughout regulation before tying at four runs apiece to force extra innings. In the eleventh inning, Northern Illinois scored twice to secure victory as Jack Niedringhaus was charged with the loss for UMass.
With both teams having one win each in this series, they will play a deciding rubber match on Saturday morning at Earl Lorden Field.
