DEKALB, Ill. -- Indiana State fell in walk-off fashion Tuesday afternoon as Northern Illinois loaded the bases in the ninth with one out before driving in the winning run on a sacrifice fly to win 5-4 at McKenzie Field.
 
Husky leadoff man Samuel Vega led all batters with five base hits, including a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth. Of NIU's 12 base hits, six of were infield singles.
 
Indiana State (19-17) used four consecutive two-out base hits in the top of the third to jump out to a 2-0 lead over Northern Illinois. CJ Huntley kicked off the rally with a single before redshirt senior Dane Giesler connected on his team-leading eighth home run of the season as he sent the ball over the wall in right. Dane Tofteland continued the rally with a single through the legs of the pitcher before Jarrod Watkins roped a single into the outfield but the Sycamores left runners at the corners to end the inning.
 
Northern Illinois (14-25) got their offense going in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of infield singles before a four-pitch walk from Dalton Laney loaded the bases with no outs. Laney would go on to walk in the first run of the game for the Huskies before the Sycamores went to the bullpen in Brian Eddy.
 
The Huskies would go on to tie the game on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center before a one-out double from Samuel Vega pushed in the go-ahead run on a double to left. A pair of groundouts would end the NIU inning.
 
It didn't take long for the Sycamores to answer back and regain the lead as the Trees showed off their power in the fifth, first on a solo home run down the line in left field from CJ Huntley which was his third of the season. Giesler followed Huntley's homer with his second of the day and ninth of the season on a solo shot to centerfield to take a 4-3 lead over the Huskies.
 
Tyler Whitbread shut down the Huskies for two innings, retiring the first six batters he faced in relief. NIU got things going in the bottom of the seventh with an infield hit, a single to the outfield and a sacrifice bunt put Huskies on second and third with one out. Jake Dunham sent the tying run to the plate with an RBI single to left before Chris Ayers gunned down the go-ahead runner at the plate to silence the Husky dugout.
 
Ethan Larrison entered in the bottom of the eighth with a runner on second and one out, getting the Sycamores out of the inning unscathed after a groundout and a fly out in foul territory.
 
Chris Ayers recorded the first walk of the day for the Sycamores in the top of the ninth, ending a streak of 13-straight Sycamore batters retired but a harmless fly out would end the ISU half of the ninth.
 
Left-hander Geremy Guerrero made his second start of the season during the scheduled staff day on the mound for the Sycamores. Guerrero went two innings, allowing a pair of base hits in the outing.
 
Parker Kilpatrick picked up the relief win for NIU moving to 3-0 while Larrison was charged with the loss, falling to 1-5 for the Trees.
 
The Sycamores will travel to Ball State Wednesday afternoon to close out the midweek slate with a 3 p.m. ET first pitch before heading to Louisville this weekend for a three-game series with the Cardinals.
 
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