TALLAHASSEE (Interstat) — Nolan Sandee drove in four runs, including a go-ahead two-run double in the top of the ninth inning, to lift Northern Illinois past Coastal Carolina 12-10 in a playoff game Friday at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

The Huskies (36-17) and Chanticleers (37-22) traded blows in a back-and-forth contest that saw Northern Illinois erupt for eight runs in the fourth inning, only for Coastal Carolina to chip away and bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth.

Sandee, the shortstop, finished 2-for-2 with a walk and two hit-by-pitches, scoring once. His two-run double in the ninth scored Charlie Parcell and Wyatt Wawro to push the Northern Illinois lead to 12-7. The insurance proved critical when Coastal Carolina’s Dean Mihos crushed a three-run homer in the bottom half to cut the deficit to two.

Mihos led the Chanticleers, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. His blast to deep left field in the ninth scored Cruz Harlan and Walker Mitchell, but Coastal Carolina could not complete the rally. Trace Mazon walked after Mihos’s homer, but Rex Watson lined out to first base to end the game.

Northern Illinois built its early lead behind a balanced attack. Cole Smith tripled and drove in a run in the third inning, and Sandee followed with an RBI infield single. The Huskies broke the game open in the fourth, sending 13 batters to the plate. Marcus Romero delivered a two-run single, Caden Robertson added a two-run single, and Gavin Baldwin walked with the bases loaded. Northern Illinois scored eight runs on five hits and took advantage of two Coastal Carolina errors and three walks in the frame.

The Chanticleers answered in the fifth. Colby Thorndyke doubled to right field, scoring Domenico Tozzi and Blagen Pado. Jackson Winer, pinch-hitting, doubled to bring home Thorndyke, cutting the Huskies’ lead to 10-7. But Northern Illinois reliever Cooper Cohn entered in the sixth and retired seven of the eight batters he faced, striking out four over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Cohn did not allow a hit.

Coastal Carolina starter Ross Norman lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on five hits. Daniel Parker threw four innings of relief, giving up two runs on two hits while striking out four.

Northern Illinois’s bullpen combined to hold the Chanticleers to three earned runs over the final seven innings. Max Vaisvila started and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with two strikeouts. Danny Cihocki allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings, and Carter Cox earned the save by recording the final two outs.

Sandee’s performance came after a three-game stretch in which he had three hits in 16 at-bats. He had gone 0-for-5 in a win over Toledo on May 23 before returning with two hits and an RBI in a victory over the Rockets on May 22.

Coastal Carolina opened the scoring in the first inning when Mihos lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Walker Mitchell. The Chanticleers added three unearned runs in the second inning, capitalizing on a throwing error by Vaisvila. Rex Watson and Tozzi scored on the play, and Blagen Pado later scored on a sacrifice bunt.

Northern Illinois tied the game in the third on Smith’s triple and Sandee’s bunt single, then seized control with the big fourth inning.

The Huskies added two more runs in the ninth when Sandee doubled to right-center field, scoring Parcell and Wawro. Parcell had singled with one out, and Wawro reached on a hit-by-pitch.

The game featured six hit batters, three walks and two errors. Northern Illinois left 11 runners on base and Coastal Carolina stranded nine.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Northern Illinois 6, Coastal Carolina 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Coastal Carolina with an 86.20 percent probability to win.