Baseball Drops Series-Opener to Northern Illinois`

Friday, May 1

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

3 p.m.

Central Michigan University

19-25, 9-16

Northern Illinois

27-13, 17-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Northern Illinois	4	1	1	2	0	0	1	0	3	12	11	0
Central Michigan	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	1

Photo by: Katrina Shammami - @mediabykat

5/1/2026 7:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

MAC title-contending Huskies break away early with four-run first inning

By: Harrison LaLone

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan Baseball dropped the first of its three-game Mid-American Conference series against Northern Illinois, 12-1, Friday afternoon.

The Chippewas will look to level the series at Theunissen Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Huskies, third in the MAC standings entering the day, got to CMU starter Hayden Bailey early with a four-run first frame on a pair of two-RBI hits, one on a double.

The CMU bats were held off the board until the fourth inning when Spencer Verburg plated Logan Keilen with a triple off the left field wall. By then, NIU had already tallied eight runs—six attributed to Bailey over two-and-a-third innings of work.

Verburg made his first collegiate start at first base on Friday, maintaining his hot-hitting presence in the lineup of late.

Jared Hanson collected three solid relief innings, the fifth through seventh, allowing one run on a solo homer, another base hit and a walk to two strikeouts.

Drew Loikits posted a two-for-two outing from the plate with a double, reaching on a hit-by-pitch, and a sacrifice bunt for his four plate appearances. Keilen finished the day two-for-four with a base hit prior to Verburg's RBI triple and a one-out double in the eighth.

Huskies starter Max Vaisvila improved to 7-0 on the season allowing one run on four hits to five strikeouts over seven innings. Bailey fell to 1-4.

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