AVON, Ohio – On March 20, Ivan Dahlberg (Minooka, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) hit a walkoff grand slam in the 10th inning to get the Northern Illinois University baseball team a 17-13 win over the Miami RedHawks. Just over two months later, Dahlberg drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 15th to get the Huskies a 6-5 win over the Mid-American Conference regular season champions at the MAC Baseball Championship at ForeFront Field.
“You see how tough we are and how we’re able to bounce back,” said head coach Ryan Copeland. “When you go 15 innings against the number one seed, it takes more than just baseball skill. You’ve got to dig deep and find a way. I’m so proud of our fight and our toughness. Our pitching staff kept putting up zero after zero late in the game.”
NIU’s (33-17) pitching trio of Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry), Matt Tarr (North Aurora, Ill./Purdue) and Nick Bassi (Zionsville, Ind./St. Charles CC) held Miami scoreless over the final six innings, allowing four hits and five walks with five strikeouts. Carter Cox (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt South) started the game on the mound and tied his career-high for strikeouts with 12 in 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits.
Miami (38-16) led 3-1 after four innings. The Huskies went in front in the top of the fifth. Wyatt Wawro (Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South) and Cole Smith (Dubuque, Iowa/Bradley) reached on back-to-back one-out base hits. Nolan Sandee (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) cleared the bases with a triple down the left field line, tying the game 3-3. Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO), who put NIU up 1-0 in the third with his 14th home run of the year, hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Sandee and put NIU ahead 4-3.
The Huskies went up 5-3 in the sixth on a Caden Robertson (Magnolia, Texas/Central Oklahoma) RBI single that scored Marcus Romero (Brighton, Colo./South Mountain College). Miami had two runners on with one out in the bottom of the sixth with a chance to tie. Blake Gaskey (Davenport, Iowa/Ohio) entered from the bullpen and got Evan Appelwick to flyout and Tommy Harrison to groundout to keep NIU ahead.
Miami tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run Appelwick home run to make the score 5-5. The RedHawks had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth as Ignacio Gonzalez and Ryan Novak reached base leading off the inning. Gaskey then got Carson Raether to ground into a double play with Gonzalez getting to third. John Lyman (Minneapolis, Minn./NIACC) came in to face Diego Cruz and got the Miami second baseman to ground out to Sandee at shortstop to force extra innings.
Cohn entered the game in the 10th and threw four scoreless innings. Miami had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th when Tarr got Drew Phillips to flyout to centerfield to keep the game alive.
“What a job by Carter, by Blake [Gaskey], and then Cooper extended the game and faced some serious traffic in a couple innings,” Copeland said. “It just took so many different moments for our guys to step up and make a pitch in order for us to get a lead in the 15th.”
Vinny Spotofora (Shorewood, Ill./Lake Land College) hit a single to left field with one out in the 15th. After a walk to Romero, Dahlberg delivered a base hit through the left side to score Spotofora and put NIU up 6-5.
“I don’t know that there’s anyone else we’d want up to bat at that moment,” Copeland said on the senior catcher’s go-ahead hit. “That’s why he wanted to come here. He lives for those big moments. He’s a pro’s pro and has great at-bats.”
Bassi came on in the bottom of the 15th to get the save. He got Harrison to lineout to Robertson in left field for the first out. Gonzalez drew a walk to put the tying run on base, but he would be left there. Bassi struck out Novak and Raether to lock up NIU’s first 2-0 start ever at the MAC Tournament.
Sandee and Baldwin both had two hits and two RBI for the Huskies. With the win NIU moves to 4-0 on the year in extra-inning games, as well as 4-0 against Miami.
NIU will take on the winner of tonight’s Kent State/Toledo game on Friday, May 22nd at 5 p.m. CT.
May 21, 2026