Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio/St. Xavier/Xavier) delivered the first complete game of his career and the third for the Eagles this season, but the Eastern Michigan University Baseball team's late rally wasn't enough as they fell to Northern Illinois University, 5-4, on May 16, at Ralph McKinzie Field.
The Eagles, trailing 4-0, put their first runs on the board in the fifth inning. Junior Logan Hugo (Essexville, Michigan/Essexville Garber) scored on a fielder's choice by Blake McRae (Armada, Michigan/Romeo/Lansing C.C.), making it 4-1.
The Huskies extended their lead to 5-1 before the Eagles responded in the seventh inning. Sophomore Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) scored on McRae's second RBI of the day, narrowing the gap to 5-2.
Eastern Michigan held Northern Illinois scoreless in the eighth inning. Further, it closed the gap to 5-3 in the bottom half, thanks to junior Brendan Kleiman's (Olney, Maryland/Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) one-out solo home run, his second of the season.
Jones continued his strong performance by retiring the Huskies in order in the eighth inning, his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning.
In the ninth, the Eagles rallied again, as Hugo was driven in by Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State), bringing the score to 5-4. However, the comeback effort ultimately fell short, and the game ended with the Eagles losing narrowly.
Next, the Eagles and Huskies will face off again in the second game of their three-game series on May 17. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET).
