EVANSTON, IL – Sophomore Carlos Aranda's (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ellsworth CC) walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11^th inning in game two of Friday's doubleheader with the Kent State Golden Flashes gave the Northern Illinois University baseball team an 11-10 win in game two and a split of the twinbill at Rocky Miller Park. Kent State won the opener 8-4 in seven innings.
 
"We rode all the emotional highs and lows today, and it was great to finish on the high," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "Our guys battled and showed some great resiliency, and they deserved to win that second game. We're really starting to peak and go in the right direction."
 
Aranda's walk-off shot in the bottom of the 11^th of game two capped a wild game that saw 11 runs scored in just the first inning. Kent State took a 5-0 lead in the top of the first, sparked by a two-run single off the bat of Colin Mathews. NIU responded in the bottom half of the inning with six runs. Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) put the first run on the board with a double down the left field line, scoring Aranda. The Huskies got within two at 5-3 when a throwing error by Kent State third baseman Kyle Jackson allowed two runs to score with the bases loaded. Mason Kelley (Mt. Washington, Ky./Schoolcraft College) tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run double, followed by a Paddy McKermitt (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central) RBI single that put the Huskies up 6-5.
 
NIU (4-15, 4-4 MAC) extended its lead to two in the bottom of the second when a bases loaded walk to McKermitt made the score 7-5. The Golden Flashes tied the game in the top of the third with a two-run home run off the bat of designated hitter Connor Ashby. NIU starting pitcher Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Twp.) held Kent State scoreless through the next four innings, as the game was tied 7-7 going into the top of the seventh.
 
Kent State (7-10, 3-5 MAC) took back the lead in the top of the seventh, with a Mike McNamara RBI double and a Josh Johnson run-scoring single giving the Golden Flashes a 9-7 advantage. It didn't last long as the Huskies tied the game in the bottom of the frame, putting together a two-out rally. It started with an Andre Demetral (Rochester, Mich./Florence Darling Tech) single, followed by a walk to Aranda. Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) then drove a ball to the gap in right center, clearing the bases with a double to tie the game at nine.
 
Both teams scored in the eighth inning to make the score 10-10 going into the ninth. Matt Salomonson (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) came in from the NIU bullpen and allowed just one hit, getting a big play from Barnes in centerfield to cut down the go-ahead run at the plate on a sacrifice fly with one out. The Huskies had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the ninth but Kent State reliever Grant Vera struck out Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) to force extra innings.
 
After a scoreless 10^th, Aranda delivered the game-winning home run with one out in the bottom of the 11^th to give NIU the 11-10 win. Aranda was 3-for-5 in the victory with three runs scored. Barnes and McKermitt each had two RBI. Salomonson earned the win in relief, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
"It was my first time hitting a walk-off in a game," Aranda said. "I'm having a better approach at the plate, and more locked in to hitting the ball hard and just having fun."
 
"Matt did a great job of shutting down Kent State to give us a chance to win," Kunigonis added. "Carlos hit today like the player we recruited. He's done a great job for us and he was the one to get it done today."
 
Aranda also had a home run in game one. NIU and Kent State were tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. Jack Blazevich (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) led off with a walk, advancing to second on a Demetral sacrifice bunt. Aranda then stepped up to the plate and launched a two-run shot over the fence in left center to give NIU a 4-2 lead. Kent State rallied in the top of the seventh for six runs, including two-run home runs from Mathews and Aidan Longwell, to go on and win 8-4.
 
Saturday's game has been postponed due to incoming cold temperatures. NIU and Kent State will play a doubleheader on Sunday, March 27 at Ralph McKinzie Field in DeKalb with game one starting at 12 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on NIU All-Access.
 
--NIU--