ATHENS, Ohio (Interstat) — Caden Robertson homered twice and drove in four runs, and Danny Cihocki carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning as Northern Illinois routed Ohio 13-1 on Saturday afternoon in a Mid-American Conference baseball game at Bob Wren Stadium.

The Huskies (8-5, 1-1 MAC) unleashed a 15-hit attack to even the series after dropping the opener 14-7 on Friday. The Bobcats (3-12, 1-1) were held to four hits and committed two errors in front of an announced crowd of 79.

The most important sequence of the game came in the top of the third inning, breaking open what was a 1-0 contest. After Gavin Baldwin’s RBI single scored Cole Smith, Robertson followed by launching a two-run homer to left field off reliever Landon Price. That three-run outburst gave Northern Illinois a 4-0 lead and set the tone for the remainder of the lopsided affair.

Robertson, the Huskies’ designated hitter, finished 4 for 6. He tripled and scored in the fifth, added an RBI single in the eighth, and capped his day with a two-run homer in the ninth. Over his last three games, Robertson has three home runs and 12 RBIs.

His offensive explosion provided more than enough support for Cihocki (1-0). The right-hander dominated Ohio’s lineup, not allowing a hit until Cam Hill’s RBI single through the left side with two outs in the fifth inning. That hit scored Dylan Shepherd, who had reached on a single earlier in the frame, accounting for Ohio’s lone run.

Cihocki worked eight innings, allowing the one run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked one. Josh Loren pitched a perfect ninth to close out the game.

Northern Illinois built its lead incrementally. Wyatt Wawro hit a solo home run in the second inning. The Huskies added two in the fifth on an RBI double from Wawro and a run-scoring double from Vinny Spotofora. They tacked on two more in the seventh on a Nolan Sandee RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Smith.

The Huskies broke the game open with a three-run eighth, highlighted by RBI doubles from Marcus Romero and Spotofora, and put the final exclamation point on the win with a three-run ninth, featuring Smith’s solo homer and Robertson’s second two-run shot of the day.

Ohio starter Colton Landtiser (0-1) took the loss, recording just two outs before exiting in the first inning. Five Bobcats relievers combined to finish the game.

The victory improved Northern Illinois to 8-5 overall, while Ohio fell to 3-12.

The teams conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon.