Preview: Northern Illinois at Akron

AKRON, Ohio (Interstat) — The surging Northern Illinois Huskies will aim for a series sweep when they face the struggling Akron Zips in a Mid-American Conference matchup Sunday afternoon at InfoCision Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT under a forecast of 74 degrees and rain.

The Huskies (22-11, 8-3 MAC) have won the first two games of the series, 10-8 on Friday and 8-6 on Saturday, and have taken seven of their last 10 contests overall. The Zips (15-23, 3-8) have lost five straight and 10 of their last 11.

Northern Illinois will look to designated hitter Caden Robertson to continue his powerful weekend. Robertson went 3 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs in Saturday’s victory. He is 3 for 9 with those two homers in the series after an 0-for-4 performance in the opener.

Akron’s offense has shown life in the series despite the losses, largely thanks to designated hitter Easton Amundson. He homered and drove in four runs Saturday and has homered in two consecutive games, accounting for five RBIs in the series.

On the mound, Huskies reliever Blake Gaskey earned the save Saturday with two scoreless innings. Akron starter Brady Bowen took the loss despite striking out six over six innings.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 7-2 victory for Northern Illinois.

Following the series finale, Northern Illinois travels to face Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday. Akron visits Ohio State on Tuesday.