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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Senior catcher Ross Brayton drove in a pair of runs with three hits and senior right-hander DJ Mauldin picked up his first win of the year as Cal Poly evened its overall mark with a 12-5 victory over Northern Illinois on Wednesday night in Baggett Stadium.

Cal Poly, which scored its runs in bunches – three in the first inning, five in the third and four in the seventh – improved to 6-6 on the year, winning the two-game series two games to none.

Northern Illinois, in the midst of a nine-game California road trip, fell to 3-8. The Huskies swept a three-game series at Cal State Bakersfield last weekend and will play four games at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

Brayton doubled twice, including a two-run two-bagger that tallied the first runs of the game, and singled once in a 3-for-5 day at the plate, lifting his season average to .412.

Freshman right fielder Mitch Haniger added two doubles as well, scoring twice and driving in four runs. His third-inning double cleared the bases and he added an RBI double to center field in the seventh. Haniger is now hitting .381.

Sophomore second baseman Matt Jensen, who went hitless in the San Francisco series two weeks ago, has brought his average back to .318. He singled and doubled Wednesday, driving in one run.

Hits were even at 10 apiece. Designated hitter Dave Reynolds, third baseman Troy White and second baseman Marvin Sanchez each had two hits for Northern Illinois.

Mauldin (1-0) struck out six and walked four in five innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He threw 95 pitches and reduced his ERA from 18.00 to 10.12.

Joey Wagman pitched two scoreless innings in relief and Mark DeVincenci and Frankie Reed each tossed an inning in relief for Cal Poly.

The loss went to southpaw Chuck Lukanen (1-3), who surrendered eight runs and six hits in three innings with three walks and four strikeouts.

After Cal Poly took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, Northern Illinois tied the game at 3-3 in the third.

The Mustangs regained the upper hand with five in the bottom of the third. Designated hitter Jordan Hadlock singled to knock in one run, Haniger doubled down the right-field line to drive in three and center fielder Adam Melker (pictured above) extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single to center field.

The Mustangs broke the game open with a four-run seventh highlighted by Haniger’s RBI double, left fielder Bobby Crocker’s two-run single to center field and Jensen’s run-scoring double to right-center field.

Cal Poly continues its nine-game homestand with a three-game weekend series against Houston (5-5) in Baggett Stadium. First pitch Friday and Saturday nights will be at 6 p.m., followed by the 1 p.m. finale Sunday.