May 7, 2011

Box Score

Box Score in PDF Format

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Northern University softball team scored a 13-5 victory over Mid-American Conference foe Ball State Saturday afternoon at the BSU Softball Complex.

After falling behind, 4-1, after three innings, NIU (25-25, 12-7) tied the game with one swing in the top of the fourth. Junior Krista Matsui (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) blasted the second home run of her career, a three-run shot, over the left field fence, to tie the game and key the Huskie comeback.

Northern Illinois went on to score nine runs in the top of the fifth to take a 13-4 lead. Andrea Colosimo (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) and Nicole Gremillion (Missouri City, Texas/Elkins) had two RBI hits in the inning, while Matsui, Adriana Sanchez (San Fernando, Calif./Alemany), Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln), Jennifer Barnett and Zoe Sinner (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) all drove in a run a piece during the nine run inning.

"It all started with Krista's three-run homer to tie the game," said NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard. "The offense kept it going from there."

The Huskie offense out-hit the Cardinals (33-21, 13-7) 12-4 on the afternoon. Matsui went 1-for-1 on the day with four runs batted in. Including her three run homer in the fourth, she also tallied a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Tofft finished with a game-high three hits with two RBIs and two runs scored. Colosimo racked up two RBI's on her pinch-hit single in the fifth.

Gremillion and Tofft combined to shutdown the Ball State offense. Gremillion improved to 8-4 on the year after allowing five runs on four hits in four-and-two-thirds innings. Tofft contributed a third of an inning in the victory.

"Steph and Nicole combined to shut them [Ball State] down for the most part and the defense played big behind them," Chouinard said.

The Huskies conclude their seven-game road trip and series with Ball State tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. Central Time.

-NIU-