March 25, 2008

Game One

Game Two

DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader with Valparaiso (14-7) on Tuesday, falling 5-2 in the first game and 5-1 in the second game. The Huskies' record now stands at 5-11.

NIU took a 2-1 lead in the third inning of the first game after a two-run single by junior Jenna Roberts (Verona, Wis./West) scored sophomore Allie Parker (Evergreen, Ill./Marist) and junior Dani Thompson (Canyon Country, Calif./Canyon). The Huskie lead was short-lived as Valparaiso countered with two runs in the bottom half of the third inning to take a 3-2 lead. The Crusaders later added two more insurance runs in the fourth and sixth innings to win, 5-2.

Senior Taryn Hagemann's (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle) record dropped to 0-4 as she went the distance, giving up five earned runs on 10 hits while striking out two batters. Roberts added two hits and two runs batted in for the Huskie offense.

In the night cap, NIU fell behind 5-0 after the Crusaders scored three runs in the second and one each in the third and fourth frames. Senior Michelle Nendza (Palos Park, Ill./Lemont Mt. Assisi) continues to perform well for the Huskie offense as she added the only tally for NIU with a solo home run in the sixth, which puts her one shy of tying a single-season career-high of seven.

Freshman Joreigh Landers (Vernonia, Ore./Vernonia) took the loss (2-3) after pitching all six innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with three strike outs. Landers also reached base twice, going 1-for-2 with a walk.

NIU heads to Iowa City, Iowa tomorrow to make up for this past weekend's cancelled games by taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.

-NIU-