Feb. 13, 2011

Box Score

Box Score in PDF Format

AUSTIN, Texas - The Northern Illinois University softball team suffered a 6-1 setback to Tulsa in the Third Place game at the Texas Classic, Sunday at McComb Field.

The Golden Hurricane jumped (2-3) out to a 4-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first and a run in each of the next two innings. The Huskies cut the lead to three with a run in the top of the fourth inning.

Jennifer Barnett (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) led off the inning with a single to center, and advanced to second on a two-out walk by Andrea Colosimo (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg). A wild pitch moved up both runners to second and third.

Another walk by Amanda Sheppard (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) loaded the bases for freshman Ashley Kopp (Burr Ridge, Ill../Hinsdale South). Kopp showed her patience at the plate, earning another base on balls to drive in Barnett from third.

However, Tulsa got that run back in the bottom of the inning and another in the bottom of the sixth to earn the win.

While the Huskies (0-5) were unable to leave Texas with a victory, NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard hopes her squad can build on its first live-game experience of the season.

"This weekend was a great learning experience for the girls," said Chouinard. "A lot of them saw time and they got a lot of reps. Hopefully, they'll take what they learned and turn it into success next weekend."

One Huskie in particular got off to a strong start in 2011. Center fielder Dani Parrish (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) went 6-for-18 from the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored.

"Dani Parrish came out really strong this weekend," she said. "I'm really proud of her and the way she played. I hope she can continue to lead in centerfield and at the top of the line-up."

Northern Illinois returns to the Lone Star State in two weeks when the Huskies travel to West Texas to compete in the Texas Tech Invitational II in Lubbock, Texas Feb. 25-27.

-NIU-