PEORIA, Ill. - Senior infielder Matt Fritz (Northbrook, Ill./DePauw University/Glenbrook North H.S.) blasted his second homerun of the season, but Northern Illinois scored eight runs on 13 hits en route to an 8-3 victory Wednesday afternoon at O'Brien Field. The two clubs combined for 20 hits in Bradley's 2010 home opener, including eight extra-base hits.

Bradley used a two-out RBI single by senior infielder Jordan Colvin (O'Fallon, Ill./Southwestern Illinois College/O'Fallon Township H.S.) in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead. In the top of the third, Northern Illinois tied the score at 1-1 with an RBI groundout, but the Braves regained the lead in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Kevin Sullivan (Elmhurst, Ill./Oakton J.C./York H.S.) to make the score 2-1.

The Huskies responded with two runs on three hits in the fourth and added two more runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 edge. Fritz cut the Northern Illinois lead to 5-3 with a solo blast to left field that landed in the middle of S.W. Jefferson Avenue, but the Huskies plated three more runs in the top of the sixth, including a two-run single by Alex Beckmann, to take an 8-3 lead. A quartet of Northern Illinois pitchers held Bradley scoreless in the final four innings to secure the 8-3 win.

Fritz had three of Bradley's seven hits and scored two of the team's three runs. Junior left-hander Eric Holmes (Wilton, Iowa/Des Moines Area C.C./Wilton H.S.) took the loss on the mound for the Braves, allowing five earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Northern Illinois' Tom Barry (1-2) picked up his first win of the season, scattering six hits and three runs in 5.0 innings.

Bradley (6-13) will return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Southern Illinois. Game one is scheduled for Friday, April 2 at 1 p.m.