CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — Two in-state rivals riding winning streaks will meet under the lights Tuesday when the Northern Illinois Huskies visit the Eastern Illinois Panthers in nonconference baseball action at Coaches Stadium at Monier Field.

First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday evening with cloudy skies and temperatures near 50 degrees forecast.

Both teams enter with identical 13-win records and momentum. Northern Illinois (13-7) swept a three-game series from Miami (Ohio) over the weekend, including a 6-4 victory Sunday. Eastern Illinois (13-8) completed its own road sweep of Lindenwood with a 9-6 win Sunday.

The Huskies’ offense is powered by catcher Ivan Dahlberg, who is coming off a explosive weekend. In the three games against Miami (Ohio), Dahlberg went 4-for-12 with four home runs and nine RBIs. His two-homer, two-RBI performance keyed Sunday’s series-clinching win.

The Panthers counter with a hot hitter of their own in second baseman Chris Worcester. He recorded multiple hits in four of his last five games, including a 3-for-5, two-RBI effort in Sunday’s victory. Over his last 10 games, Worcester is batting .395 (15-for-38) with two homers and 13 RBIs.

On the mound, Northern Illinois received a strong start from Blake Gaskey in Sunday’s win, as he allowed one earned run over four innings. Eastern Illinois’ Anthony Solis provided 4 2/3 innings of relief in its most recent contest.

The teams have followed similar paths, with both struggling in mid-March road series before rebounding with sweeps last weekend. They are scheduled to meet again in DeKalb on April 7.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, this matchup projects to be a high-scoring affair, with a predicted final score of Northern Illinois 8, Eastern Illinois 7.

Following Tuesday’s contest, both teams jump into conference play this weekend. The Huskies host Bowling Green for a three-game set, while the Panthers welcome Morehead State to Charleston.