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BUFFALO, NY ­ The University at Buffalo dropped a doubleheader Saturday afternoon to Northern Illinois, 10-1 and 4-3, at Audubon Park in Mid-American Conference baseball action. The Bulls fell to 11-37 overall and 5-22 in league play while the Huskies improved to 26-24 overall and 8-14 in the MAC.

Eric Huber became UB's single-season hits leader with 65

The Huskies broke open a 3-0 game with five runs in the sixth inning of game one. Pat Kerrigan doubled and came around to score on Jason Marconi's single. One out later, Marconi scored on an RBI by Trevor Stocking. After a pop out, Bilal Omar singled, moving Stocking to second. Noel Danielson's screaming liner to second was then misplayed by UB's Joe Todoro (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), scoring Stocking. John Brock then cleared the bases with a two-run triple giving the Huskies an 8-0 lead.

UB scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth off NIU starter Don Rodman. Scott Gruver (Vestal, NY/Vestal) reached after Joel Vanden Berg dropped his popup. Gruver came around to score on an RBI single by Kevin Nesteruk (Cheektowaga, NY/West Seneca East).

Eric Huber (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) led UB with a pair of hits in the first game. Stocking and Vanden Berg were each 3-of-4 with two RBIs for the Huskies. The Bulls stranded 12 runners on base in the seven-inning contest.

Game two turned into a nail-biter as UB rallied for two runs in the eighth and had the winning run on second base in the bottom of the ninth.

The Huskies scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning off UB starter Mark McMahon (West Seneca, NY/Timon/St. Jude). Stocking led off the inning with a walk. McMahon was then able to coax flyouts to center to the next two batters before NIU loaded the bases on a single by Danielson and Kyle Kimme reaching via a hit batsman. With the bases loaded, Dan Urban doubled, clearing the bases and giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead. .Urban then scored on an RBI double by Pat Kerrigan for a 4-0 edge.

UB got into the scoring column in the sixth as Huber led off with a base hit to left. The hit was Huber's 64th of the season surpassing the UB single-season mark of 63 held by Pat Raimondo in 1980 and Mike Dixon in 1977. Huber moved to third when Bryan Sanchez's (Canandaigua, NY/Canadaigua Academy) grounder was mishandled by Stocking at first. Huber scored to make the game 4-1 when Scott Mruczek (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) hit into a double play.

The Bulls added two runs in the eighth as Gruver hit the first home run in Audubon Park, an opposite field shot to right and his third of the season, scoring Sanchez ahead of him, off NIU reliever Knick Davis.

UB had a rally going in the bottom of the ninth against NIU closer Steve Hardman. Nesteruk led off with a single to left and move to second when Dan Urban misplayed the ball. One out later, Rob Golemba (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) walked. Huber, who stroked his 65th hit of the season in the eighth inning, struck out. The Bulls then moved both runners into scoring position on a passed ball by NIU catcher Jim McArthur. The game ended when Hardman struck out Sanchez snuffing out the rally.

Huber finished the game 3-of-5 at the plate and was 5-of-9 in the doubleheader. Nesteruk added three hits in the nightcap while Gruver stroked a double to go with his home run.