DeKalb: NIU Baseball Wins First-Ever NCAA Tournament Game in Historic 12-10 Victory
The NIU baseball team erased a 4-0 deficit with an eight-run fourth inning to beat Coastal Carolina 12-10 and claim the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win in DeKalb sports history.
It took an eight-run fourth inning to change everything. The Northern Illinois University baseball team erased a 4-0 deficit and defeated Coastal Carolina 12-10 on Friday night in Tallahassee, Florida, capturing the program's first NCAA Tournament win in its history.
The Huskies (36-17) had never won a game at the NCAA Baseball Tournament until Friday night at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium. The victory marked their fifth straight win and kept them alive in the Tallahassee Regional.
From 4-0 Down to Program History
Coastal Carolina (37-21) struck first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-0 lead.
"To pretend there wasn't some nerves from our group early, we'd be lying," head coach Ryan Copeland said. "I thought we did a good job settling in. You just got to go get that first contact, feel that first ground ball, secure the catch."
NIU began its response in the top of the third. Wyatt Wawro of Darien, Illinois, led off with an infield single. Cole Smith of Dubuque, Iowa, followed with a triple to left field to score Wawro. Nolan Sandee of Glendale, Wisconsin, bunted a single up the first base line to bring Smith home and cut the deficit to 4-2.
The fourth inning belonged to the Huskies.
Marcus Romero of Brighton, Colorado, led off with a single and reached third on an Ivan Dahlberg double. Caden Robertson of Magnolia, Texas, hit a deep fly ball to center that scored Romero and made it 4-3. Charlie Parcell of Des Plaines, Illinois, singled through the right side to put runners on the corners.
Wawro dropped a bunt that Coastal Carolina pitcher Colby Richardson threw wide of first base, scoring Dahlberg to tie the game 4-4.
The rally kept going:
- Smith drew a walk to load the bases
- Sandee was hit by a pitch, scoring Parcell and putting NIU ahead 5-4
- Gavin Baldwin of Nashville, Illinois, walked to bring in Wawro and make it 6-4
- Romero singled to center, plating two more runs for an 8-4 lead
- Robertson cleared the bases with a two-run single up the middle to push it to 10-4
Robertson finished with three RBI, all coming in the pivotal fourth inning. It was his fifth three-RBI game of the season.
"I'm a big believer that hitting is contagious," Robertson said. "Whenever you see one good at-bat after another, it just feels like you're not going to be the guy to make an out. You just want to keep the rally going."
Bullpen Holds Off a Fightback
Coastal Carolina chipped away. A two-run double by Colby Thorndyke and an RBI double by Jackson Winer in the bottom of the fifth made it 10-7. The Chanticleers threatened again in the sixth.
Reliever Cooper Cohn of McHenry, Illinois, entered the game and survived a bases-loaded scare. He struck out both Domenico Tozzi and Blagen Pado to hold Coastal scoreless in the inning.
"Cooper has thrown 10.2 scoreless innings in the postseason," Copeland said. "He survived against an outstanding Coastal team. They're gritty over there and he competed his tail off and it felt like the game there in the sixth, getting those two strikeouts with the bases loaded and finding a way to get the job done."
Cohn threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four on 62 pitches.
NIU added insurance in the top of the ninth. Parcell singled, Wawro walked, and Sandee drove in both runners with a double to right center, extending the lead to 12-7. Coastal Carolina scored three runs back in the bottom of the ninth on a three-run home run from Dean Mihos, but closer Carter Cox of St. Peters, Missouri, secured the final out.
What Comes Next
NIU now faces St. John's on Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT. The Red Storm upset the No. 10 national seed Florida State 6-5 on Friday.
The winner of the NIU-St. John's game advances to the regional championship. The loser drops to the loser's bracket to face either Florida State or Coastal Carolina.
NIU is the first Mid-American Conference team to win a game at an NCAA Regional since Central Michigan in 2022. The Huskies are now 16-0 this season when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.
"This was just a remarkable baseball game," Copeland said. "It took three weekend starters and one of our better relievers. I loved the game plan offensively. As we've done all year, we were resilient and tough and found a way to battle back. You have to win game one of a regional. You gotta win. It's just hard to climb out of that hole in the loser's bracket. This was a great team win."
Eight of the nine Huskies in the lineup recorded a hit, and all nine reached base. Sandee finished 2-for-2 with two walks and four RBI, tying his season-high. Smith, Sandee, Romero, and Parcell all had two hits apiece.