March 10, 2008

Final Stats 1

Final Stats 2

NIU 5, SLU 1

SLU 3, NIU 2

Saint Louis, Mo. - The Northern Illinois softball team took one of two games from Saint Louis (5-10) on Monday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center. The Huskies (5-3) came out on top in the first game, 5-1, but the Billikens took the second game, 3-2.

Sophomore pitcher Kate Greenough (Portland, Ore./David Douglas) took the mound in the first game for NIU, going the distance while giving up only an unearned run, two hits and striking out nine batters. Greenough picked up the win and her third complete-game of the season, improving to 3-1.

Senior Michelle Nendza (Palos Park, Ill./Lemont Mt. Assisi) continues to spark the Huskie offense as she added four runs batted in, three runs-scored and four hits, including a home run in each game. Nendza's solo homer in the first game and her two-run shot in the second game marked the second and third home runs that she has hit in eight games this season to go along with eight RBI.

Juniors Emily Gooding (Lismore, Australia/Lake Land C.C.) and Jenna Roberts (Verona, Wis./West) each added two hits to help support Greenough. Both of Roberts' hits were doubles with one coming in the second inning that drove in a run to give NIU a 2-0 lead. Freshman Joreigh Landers (Vernonia, Ore./Vernonia) hit her first career home run with a solo shot in the fifth inning and that was all the help that Greenough needed.

Senior Taryn Hagemann (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle) started the second game for the Huskies, going 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run, three hits, adding eight strikeouts and leaving the game with a 2-0 lead. Landers relieved Hagemann for the fifth and sixth innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits. Hagemann came back in to pitch the seventh with the score knotted at 2-2, but couldn't hold the Billikens scoreless as she gave up the winning run with two outs to set her record back to 0-3.

Nendza drove in the only runs of the game for NIU on a two-run home run in the first inning. Roberts repeated her performance in game one by adding two more hits, totaling four on the day.

The Huskies were scheduled to play again tomorrow in Bloomington, Ill. against Illinois State at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. CT, but wet field conditions and the threat of inclement weather have forced the games to be postponed with the possibility of making them up at a later date.

-NIU-