March 20 , 2004

Box Score	R	H	E
Oakland	2	6	1
Northern Illinois	0	3	2

WP: Marzano (7-4)
LP: Dearborn (3-5)
HR: Nicole Marzano (OU / 4th inning / solo)

Box Score (5 innings)	R	H	E
Northern Illinois	3	5	2
Ohio State	11	11	1

WP: Baker (3-1)
LP: Krahula (2-5)

RECORDS TO DATE: Northern Illinois now 7-16 overall / Oakland now 7-9 overall / Ohio State now 15-7 overall
NEXT HUSKIE ACTION: Sunday / Mar. 21 / NIU vs. Michigan State University / Columbus, OH / 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Sunday / Mar. 21 / NIU vs. Robert Morris University / Columbus, OH / 2:00 p.m. (EST)

TWO GAMES FOLLOW DIFFERENT SCRIPTS, BUT PRODUCE SAME RESULT---TWO HUSKIE LOSSES AT BUCKEYE CLASSIC
COLUMBUS, OH---A lack of offense plagued the Northern Illinois softball team one game, and pitching and defense failed the Huskies the next, as NIU dropped a pair of games at the Ohio State Buckeye Classic Saturday (Mar. 20).

Oakland University started the day by dishing the Huskies a 2-0 loss before the host Buckeyes extended their perfect three-year run through the event to 16 straight games with a five-inning 11-3 victory in the nightcap. With the losses, Northern Illinois falls to 7-16 on the season and have lost five straight games. OU improves to 7-9 for the year while Ohio State moves to 15-7.

Oakland got on the board first in the top of the fourth inning behind do-everything pitcher Sara Marzano. One batter after watching Maria Benza take her to the warning track, NIU starter Kathy Dearborn (Geneseo / Darnall) wasn't so lucky with Marzano, who launched her third home run of the season over the fence in right field to give the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead.

Marzano started another OU rally by leading off the seventh with a single and advancing to second on a Huskie throwing error. A sacrifice bunt moved the Grizzly hurler to third, and a two-out single by Dana Blugerman pushed the lead to 2-0.

The Huskies weren't without chances, leaving nine runners on base despite collecting just three hits. Toni Del Toro (Las Vegas, NV / Durango) notched two of those hits as part of a 2-for-2 day and also got hit by a pitch. Marzano cancelled out five walks, however, by forcing NIU to ground out to the pitcher nine times.

"It's not that we aren't getting people on base," NIU head coach Donna Martin said of her team's offensive struggles. "We even have runners in scoring position. We just can't seem to get that big hit when we really need it."

Dearborn (3-5) was solid again in the circle despite getting tagged with the loss. The junior allowed two or fewer earned runs for the eighth straight appearance. Marzano's home run was the lone earned run of the game. Oakland mustered six hits while falling victim to five Dearborn strikeouts.

"Kathy has pitched really well of late," Martin added. "She has been putting us in position to win ballgames. Now we just need to start getting her some run supoort."

NIU's offense finally came to life in the third inning of the nightcap against the Buckeyes. Trailing 2-0 after giving up a single run in each of the first two frames, Annie Johnson (Kirkland / Hiawatha) started things off with a walk. A Therese Harper (Glenwood / Homewood-Flossmoor) single put two runners on with one out before Kelly Drozd (Lockport) laid down a bunt. OSU pitcher Chelsea Baker handled it cleanly, but threw the ball into right field allowing Johnson to score. Shelby Bernard (Cedar Falls, IA) capped the inning with a two-out single to center, plating Harper and Drozd to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead.

That advantage didn't even last half an inning as the Buckeyes jumped right back ahead with four more runs in the bottom of the third. A pair of RBI doubles did most of the damage as Jamee Juarez hit the right field gap to drive in one run with one out and Beth McAbier ripped a two-out Amy Krahula (Woodridge / Downers Grove South) offering off the fence to put Ohio State back up by three runs at 6-3.

The runs kept coming for the Buckeyes in the bottom of the fourth. OSU batted around and hung five runs on three hits and an NIU error on Huskie reliever Paige Granath (Machesney Park / Harlem) to put the game out of reach. OSU releiver Jamee Juarez held Northern Illinois scoreless in the top of the fifth to enact the mercy rule and finish off the Huskie loss.

Harper provided a bright spot at the plate, going 2-for-2 to extend her career-long hitting streak to six games. Bernard also collected a pair of hits in three at-bats with two runs batted in. Drozd was 1-for-2 with a run scored to extend her own hitting streak to five contests. Krahula took the loss to fall to 2-5 on the year.

Northern Illinois plays two more contests in Columbus Sunday (Mar. 21) to close out its slate at the Buckeye Classic. NIU faces off against Big Ten foe Michigan State University at 12:00 p.m. (EST) before meeting Robert Morris University at 2:00 p.m.

-30- --Copy by Brian Kedzior