April 8, 2011

Box Score

Game One Box Score in PDF Format

Game Two Box Score in PDF Format

LEWISTON, N.Y. - The Northern Illinois University softball team took its doubleheader with Mid-American Conference East foe Buffalo at Niagara Field Friday afternoon.

The Huskies (15-16, 5-1) posted a 10-9 victory in 13 innings in the opening contest, while tallying a 7-0 shutout in the second.

Game One was a see-saw affair. Northern Illinois opened the scoring, jumping out to a 5-0 lead with two runs in the second and three in the third. However, Buffalo (8-22, 3-3) came back to tie the game at 5-5 with a run in the fourth and fifth inning and three runs in the sixth. Both teams scored two runs in the seventh inning sending the game to extra frames.

NIU took a 9-7 lead in the top of the 10th when Jennifer Barnett (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) doubled to left field to drive in two runs. Buffalo answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to keep the game going. Both teams were unable to score in the next two innings. Alexandra Wulbecker (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates) gave NIU the 10-9 lead when she hit a RBI single to right to drive in Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln).

Pitcher Morgan Bittner (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) pitched a 1-2-3 13th to pick up the win and even her record to 8-8 on the season. She allowed four runs, two earned, in nine innings of work. She pitched the first five innings and final four of the game.

"We did everything we could to not win that game, but we kept fighting," NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard said of the first game. "Those are kinds of games you have to win in conference.

"Morgan did a great job for us today, throwing 13 innings and only giving up two earned runs. It was a really gutsy performance from our junior."

The Northern Illinois offense stayed hot in Game Two, pounding out 13 hits for seven runs and the Huskie pitching staff combined for the shutout. Whitney Owens (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) started the game, going three innings, while Tofft pitched two innings of hitless softball. Bittner came into the game in the sixth inning to pick up the save.

Adriana Sanchez went 2-for-4 in the game collecting three RBIs in the contest with her bases clearing triple in the top of the seventh. Carly Norton (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest), who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the first game, was 1-for-4 in the second with two runs batted in.

Tofft went 3-for-10 on the day with five runs scored and extended her school-record hitting streak to 21 games with a base hit in the first game and a pair of singles in the second game.

Northern Illinois returns to the diamond Saturday when the Huskies travel to Kent State for a weekend set with the MAC East leader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central.

-NIU-