March 9, 2009

Game 1 Box Score in PDF Format

Game 2 Box Score in PDF Format

Stockton, Calif. - The Northern Illinois softball team came up short in both games of a doubleheader with Pacific on Monday evening at Bill Simoni Field, losing game one 4-2 and game two 3-1.

"Joreigh pitched a very well enough to win the first game, but just made that one mistake in the last inning that hurt," NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard said. "We need to find a way to score more than a couple runs to give our pitchers a little cushion and let them be able work."

In game one, NIU (3-11) entered the seventh with a 2-1 lead after senior Bailey Ouellette (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) delivered a two-out RBI single to left-center that scored junior Katie Welsh (Wilmington, Ill./Bishop McNamara) in the top of the sixth inning. However, the Tigers (9-9) rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Casey Goldsand singled with one out and Paige Emerson reached on an error by freshman Krista Matsui to set up Nicole Matson's three-run homer to left-center that ended the game in Pacific's favor, 4-2.

Chelsea Engle (4-5) earned the win by lasting the distance, giving up just one earned run on three hits and two walks along with eight strikeouts. NIU sophomore Joreigh Landers (Vernonia, Ore./Vernonia) took the loss (1-4) for NIU as she went 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Karie Wilson led the Tigers with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate while Goldsand, Emerson and Matson each had a hit. Matson's homer drove in the only three RBI for Pacific. Sophomore Andrea Colosimo (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) led the Huskies by going 2-for-2. Ouellette had NIU's only other hit and lone RBI.

In game two, the Huskies tied the game 1-1 in the second inning after Michelle Williams (Fresno, Calif./Fresno City College) singled to left to score Ouellette with one out. However, Pacific responded in the fourth with a pair of runs on an RBI double to right-center by Lauren Weyman and an RBI single to left by Goldsand that gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead in which the game ended on.

Michelle Tait (1-0) picked up the win by going all seven innings, surrendering an earned run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts while NIU freshman Morgan Bittner (2-6) was tagged with the loss () after allowing three earned runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Four Tigers recorded multiple hits, led by Emerson, who had three. Goldsand had two and an RBI while both Matson and Lindsey Pierce each had two as well. Briana Santos and Weyman each drove in a run. Williams led the Huskies with a hit and drove in the lone run. Freshman Carly Norton (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) and senior Dani Thompson (Canyon Country, Calif./Canyon) tallied NIU's only other hits.

After a day off, the Huskies travel to Santa Clara, Calif. to face Santa Clara in a doubleheader on Wednesday, starting at 5 p.m. CT.