AVON, Ohio (Interstat) — The Mid-American Conference baseball championship opens Friday with a matchup between seed Northern Illinois and seed Toledo at 7 p.m. at Avon’s Mercy Health Stadium.

The Huskies (33-17) enter the title game after a 6-5, 15-inning victory over Miami (Ohio) on Thursday. The Rockets (31-27) advanced with an 8-0 win over Kent State.

Both teams lean on their aces. Northern Illinois right-hander Carter Cox has been dominant despite occasional inconsistency. In Thursday’s win, he threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out 12. Over his last five starts, Cox has 29 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings, though he was tagged for four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against Western Michigan on May 15.

Toledo counters with left-hander Michael Fliss, who has been nearly untouchable. Fliss tossed seven shutout innings Thursday against Kent State, allowing no hits and striking out eight. In his last five outings, Fliss has a 1.24 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 29 innings. He has won all five decisions.

The teams split a three-game series in March at Toledo. The Rockets won 17-2 on March 15 and 21-5 on March 13, while the Huskies took the middle game 8-3 on March 14. Toledo’s offense averaged 12.7 runs in those games.

Northern Illinois rode a strong bullpen Thursday, with Cooper Cohn throwing four hitless innings and Blake Gaskey adding 3 1/3 scoreless frames. The Huskies’ offense has been inconsistent but capable, as shown in an 11-0 shutout of Western Michigan on May 20.

Toledo’s lineup features shortstop Charlie Scholvin, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI on Thursday. The Rockets have won nine of their last 12, including a 20-3 rout of Ball State on May 3.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Toledo 7, Northern Illinois 6.

First pitch weather is forecast at 72 degrees with partly cloudy skies.