CHICAGO, IL - The Chicago State baseball team got back in the win column in high scoring fashion by beating in-state rival Northern Illinois 10-8 on Tuesday. The win, which came in the Cougars home opener, moved them to 5-11 on the season.
The Cougars never trailed in the win. With three runs in the 1st, three in the 3rd, and three in 5th, the Cougars held a commanding 9-1 lead in the 6th. NIU began to chip into the Cougar lead in the 7th where they scored two runs to cut their deficit to six. The Huskies rallied even bigger in the 8th inning, where they scored five runs to claw all the way back and make the score 9-8 in favor of CSU. After a huge insurance RBI from Tyler Lowe (Northville, Mich., Northville) in the 9th, the Cougars held a two run lead in the top of the 9th. CSU closer Yunis Halim (Chicago, Ill., Oak Lawn) was on the bump for the Cougars in the 9th, where he spoiled the Huskies comeback effort by securing the win.
Anthony Leedle (Clinton, Wis.) (2-2) picked up his second win of the year after tossing five very strong innings. He struck out a career high four batters, and only allowed one hit and one walk. He was replaced by Dean Youngblood (Melissa, Texas, Melissa) at the start of the 6th inning, who tossed a strong 1.2 innings where he only allowed one hit over 35 pitches. Kyle Merkel (Los Angeles, Calif.) then replaced Dean Youngblood to toss 0.2 innings before making way to Yunis Halim. Halim saved the game for the Cougars after throwing 1.2 innings. He ended a potentially threatening NIU rally in the 8th before shutting the door in the 9th where he struck out one and induced a game ending double play.
The Cougars offense received some big performances that guided the team to the win. Daulton Ryans (Mishawaka, Ind., Mishawaka) had a multi-hit game that included some big hits, including a two out, two RBI single in the bottom of the 1st. Daulton Ryans was not alone with two RBIs, as Tyler Lowe (Northville, Mich., Northville), James Rosenhagen (Scottsdale, Ariz., Notre Dame Prep), and Patrick Arndt (Chesterton, Ind.) all drove in two runners as well to push the Cougar offense. Andy Gaytan (Oak Forest, Ill.) also had a very effective day at the plate, hitting 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs. The Cougars tallied seven hits in total in the win.
Next Up
The Green and White will be back in action less than 24 hours from the conclusion of this game, as they will head to Iowa City where they will take on Big Ten opponent Iowa (10-7). First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 20th. This will be the final game before the Cougars begin conference play.
