April 3, 2010
Box Score
Box Score in PDF Format 
DEKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University softball team overcame a 5-0 deficit to defeat Buffalo, 8-5, in Mid-American Conference at Mary M. Bell Field action Saturday afternoon.
"It's nice to see the team come back," NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard said. "For the pitchers, it's nice to know that sometimes when you don't come with your best stuff that the team is still going to find a way to rally around you and win the game."
Buffalo (9-20, 1-2) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on a two-run home run by Alyssa Ward to right-center field. The Bulls added two more on a two-out single by Kristin Waldron. The Bulls scored their final run on the game when Sharon Barr reached on a Huskie error allowing Waldron to score from second to give Buffalo a 5-0 advantage.
The Huskies (12-19, 2-1) responded in the bottom of the frame with a one-out bloop single to left field by Carly Norton (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) to drive in Michelle Williams (Fresno, Calif./Fresno City College). With the bases loaded and two down, Krista Matsui (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) singled to left, scoring Adrianna Sanchez (San Fernando, Calif./Alemany) from third and cutting the deficit to 5-2. Unfortunately for NIU, Norton, who was trying score from second on the play, was thrown out at home to end the inning for NIU.
NIU tied the game with a three-run third. Andrea Colosimo (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) belted a lead-off homer to left field to cut the deficit to 5-3. Williams tied the game with a two-run blast that hit off the scoreboard in left field. The Huskies took the lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring two runs on one hit and a Buffalo error.
Morgan Bittner (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) pitched out of a bases loaded two-out jam in the top of the fifth, by getting pinch hitter Taylor Franich to ground out the third baseman for the force out and end the threat.
Bittner (8-7) picked up her second win in as many games, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits in seven innings of work.
"Morgan did a good job of consolidating all the runs to one inning," Chouinard said. "Obviously, she wasn't as sharp as she wanted to be today."
Colosimo led the way for the Huskie offense, going 2-for-3, including a home run, with an RBI and two runs scored. Williams went 1-for-2 with two runs batted in and a run scored, while Norton was a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
Northern Illinois University wraps up its series with Buffalo Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. CST. Fans can follow all the action live via Gametracker at NIUHuskies.com.
-NIU-
