April 2, 2011

Box Score

Game One Box Score in PDF Format

Game Two Box Score in PDF Format

DEKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University softball team wrapped up its first weekend of Mid-American Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Central Michigan Saturday afternoon at Mary M. Bell Field.

"It comes down to three things and you only have to do two of them," NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard said. "Good pitching, good defense and timely hitting. Today we had all three in both games."

The Huskies (13-15, 3-1) posted a 2-1 victory in a pitcher's duel in the first game and followed that up with an 8-0 shutout in five innings in Game Two, highlighted by the walk-off home run by freshman Shelby Miller (Ottawa, Kan./Ottawa).

Morgan Bittner (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) pitched her best game of the six-game homestand, allowing one run, scattering seven hits, while striking out five in the series opener. After being staked to a 1-0 lead with an RBI single from Nicole Gremillion (Missouri City, Texas/Elkins) in the bottom of the third, Bitter struck out the side in the top of the fourth.

An RBI double to left center by Carly Norton (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) in the bottom of the fourth gave NIU a 2-0 lead. Central Michigan (14-12, 1-3) closed the gap to one with a run in the top of the fifth. The damage could have been far worse, as the Chippewas had the bases loaded with two outs. However, Bittner and the Huskie defense were able to get the force out at second and get out of the inning.

CMU had the tying run on third in the top of the sixth, but Bittner induced a pair of ground outs to end the threat.

Northern Illinois' offense showed its power in Game Two, scoring all eight runs via the long ball. Sophomore Adriana Sanchez (San Fernando, Calif./Alemany) opened the barrage with a three-run blast to center field to give NIU a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Norton had a three-run homer that bounced off the scoreboard in left field in the third inning to extend the lead to 6-0.

Miller capped the scoring and the sweep with two-run homer to center field to give the Huskies the 8-0 victory. Gremillion earned the victory, allowing five hits, while striking out two, in five innings of work.

"The pitchers did a great job today," Chouinard said. "Morgan did a good job setting the tone and getting ahead and getting out of jams early on. Nicole did a great job as well, posting her first collegiate shutout."

Freshman Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln) extended her school-record hitting streak to 18 games with a 1-for-3 showing in both games. Norton went 3-for-5 on the day with four RBIs and a run scored.

NIU is back on the field Wednesday when the Huskies travel to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. Central Time. Fans can follow all the action live via Gametracker at NIUHuskies.com.

-NIU-