April 13, 2008

Game-One

Game-Two

NIU 2, KSU 0

KSU 5, NIU 0

DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois softball team split a doubleheader with Kent State on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies (9-20, 3-5) took game-one, 2-0, behind a strong performance from Taryn Hagemann (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle). The Golden Flashes (27-9, 10-2) won game-two, 5-0, behind a no-hitter from Kylie Reynolds.

In game-one for the Huskies, Hagemann earned her third straight win to improve to 3-5 on the season after pitching a complete-game shut-out, giving up only three hits with four walks and five strike outs.

"Taryn executed when she needed to," said NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard. "Obviously, she pitched great today and all weekend. That's the kind of performance we need from our seniors."

Hagemann received two runs of support from the Huskie offense and that was all she needed as NIU scored in the first inning on a Bailey Ouellette (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) fielder's choice RBI ground ball to first base, scoring Krista McPherson (Beecher, Ill./Beecher) from third as she slid around the tag to give NIU a 1-0 lead.

"On a ground ball in the infield you have to make the opponent make the play," said Chouinard. "Krista is fast and knows how to slide and make it happen. They have great pitchers with ERAs around 1.00, so you have to make things happen offensively. We had to take a chance and it worked out. "

NIU scored another run in the fourth frame on an RBI single by McPherson, scoring Dani Thompson (Canyon Country, Calif./Canyon) from third to put the Huskies up, 2-0.

McPherson, Michelle Nendza (Palos Park, Ill./Lemont Mt. Assisi), Andrea Colosimo (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) and Ashley Clement (Moline, Ill./Moline) each had a hit for NIU. McPherson and Ouellette each had an RBI.

Gabrielle Burns (12-4) took the loss for Kent State after pitching six innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with three walks and six strike outs.

In game-two, the Huskies fell behind early as the Golden Flashes scored a run in the first and third innings and would later add three more in the sixth, providing plenty of support for Reynolds, who threw a no-hitter with two walks and twelve strike outs in seven innings.

Hagemann (3-6) took the loss for NIU after giving up five earned runs on nine hits with four walks and a strike out in 5.1 innings of work.

"It was a lot to ask of Taryn to throw two games today and hold down one of the best offenses in the Mid-American Conference, Chouinard said. "It's a tall task to ask her to face hitters six or seven times and she did a great job. We just didn't make the right adjustments offensively."

The Huskies wrap up their homestand with a match-up against in-state rival No. 22 DePaul (24-12) on Wednesday, April 16 at 4 p.m. CDT at Mary M. Bell Field.

-NIU-