April 9, 2011

Box Score

Box Score in PDF Format

KENT, Ohio. -The Northern Illinois University softball team unleashed a 15-hit, 19-run barrage on Kent State to post a 19-12 victory over the Mid-American Conference East Division leaders at Kent Field Saturday afternoon.

"Clearly it was an offensive game and we battled today," NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard said. "We did a good job of putting up crooked numbers in multiple innings. It was definitely a team win and we did a good job of putting them away at the end."

The victory was the third straight and fifth and the last six games for NIU (16-16, 6-1) who scored 19 runs for the second time this season, one run shy of the school record. Five Huskies had multi-hit games, while three had multi-hit efforts.

Dani Parrish (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) led the way for the top of the order, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Adriana Sanchez (San Fernando, Calif./Alemany) provided the boost from the middle of the order going 3-for-6 with three runs batted batting in the clean-up spot, while Jennifer Barnett (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) was the catalyst for the offense in the bottom of the order with a 3-for-5 effort, three runs batted in and four runs scored.

Krista Matsui (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Freshman Stephanie Tofft continued her school-record hitting streak, extending it to 22 with a 2-for-6 day with an RBI and run scored.

"We're having really good at bats," Chouinard said of the team's success at the plate of late. "We're not getting frustrated if things don't work out the way we want early in the count. They're doing a good job of fouling off pitches until they get what they want. Once one person starts doing it, it gets contagious."

Kent State (15-19, 5-2) opened the scoring with a three spot in the bottom of the first, but NIU responded with three in the top of the second and eight in the top of the third to take an 11-3 lead. However, the Golden Flashes bounced back with seven in the bottom of the inning to pull to within one.

Northern Illinois broke the game open with three runs in the top of the fourth to lead 14-10, and tacked on five runs in the top of the seventh. Kent State scored a run in the fifth and sixth innings

Northern Illinois returns to action Sunday when the Huskies wrap up their series with Kent State. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. Central.

-NIU-