Final Stats

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Northern Illinois University softball team opened its season Friday with a pair of late-inning losses at the Texas State Hampton Inn & Suites Invitational.
 
The Huskies (0-2) let an early lead slip away in the first game against Pittsburgh (2-0), then came up short against the host Bobcats (2-0) in game two.
 
“We learned some things about ourselves today,” said NIU Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe. “We got better as a team in certain areas and had some tenacity. We just have to turn the results around.”
 
Game One: Late Pittsburgh Rally Sinks Huskies, 3-2
 
Despite taking an early lead, the Huskies suffered a 3-2 defeat against ACC foe Pittsburgh Friday afternoon.
 
Six Huskies collected a hit in the contest – including RBI singles from Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) and Emily Naegele (Oak Forest, Ill./Radford Univ.) – as the Huskies posted five hits in the first two innings. However, the Panthers shut down NIU’s offense in the final five frames by allowing just one hit and one walk the rest of the way.
 
The Huskies pounced on the Panthers early in the contest with a 2-0 lead after one. Following a walk from Bryanna Phelan (Coal City, Ill./Coal City) and a bunt single from Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central), Grable got NIU on the board with a single up the middle, while Naegele followed that up with a single into left-center to get NIU started.
 
“Honestly, I think in the second inning, we had some baserunning errors that gave them the momentum and we weren’t able to capitalize and get it back,” Sutcliffe said.
 
Pitt got one run back in the top of the third with a solo home run, then knotted up the contest at 2-2 with another solo shot to lead off the fourth. Pitcher Jessica Sturm (Wichita, Kan./Goddard) quieted the Panther bats after that by not allowing a hit and retiring six of seven batters to close out the fourth and fifth innings.
 
In the sixth, the Panthers threatened to take the lead after a leadoff double and a one-out single put runners on the corners. Yet, Sturm again came through to halt the Pitt offense, forcing a ground out and a pop out to get out of the frame and strand a pair of runners.
 
“Jess definitely threw well enough to get a win,” Sutcliffe said. “We just didn’t offensively support her enough. She had a couple balls go deep on her, but it’s early in the year and they’ve got to settle in, as well. She threw well enough to get a W.”
 
Pitt broke through in the top of the seventh to take a 3-2 lead on NIU. After opening the frame with a walk, the Panthers used a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to second, then got the go-ahead run home off an error following a second-straight sac bunt. Needing a run in the bottom half, Pitt forced a ground out and two strikeouts to close out the game.
 
Game Two: Texas State Offense Too Much for Huskies in 14-5 Loss
 
NIU got off to another promising start in the night cap, but saw Texas State’s offense explode in the later innings during a 14-5 loss.
 
Kayti Grable knocked in two of NIU’s runs on a home run, while Emily Naegele and Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle) each brought in a run on solo homers.
 
“We don’t really preach the long ball,” Sutcliffe said. “We just preach hit a line drive and, if it happens to go over, it goes over. It was nice to see us hit three in one game. Unfortunately, it came during a loss.”
 
Much as they had in the first game of the day, the Huskies’ offense caught fire early in the game. Following a pair of singles from Bryanna Phelan and Bekah Harnish, Grable got the Huskies on the board with a two-run home run into left-center field for a 2-0 lead. Naegele repeated the feat with a solo shot into center field to put the Huskies out to a 3-0 lead through one.
 
Meanwhile, freshman Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) held the Texas State offense in check at the start. The Naperville, Illinois, native kept the Bobcats without a hit in the first two innings and just two baserunners into the opening three frames.
 
Yet, Texas State got on the board in the top of the fourth. After an unassisted double play to first base gave NIU two outs, Hayes gave up a walk before the Bobcats sent one over the fences to trim the NIU lead to 3-2.
 
A half inning later, the Huskies pushed the lead back up to two when Woollard collected her first career hit with a home run. Facing a 3-2 count, the New Castle, Indiana, native got a hold of a pitch and sent it over the center field fence for a 4-2 Huskies lead.
 
Undeterred, the Bobcats rallied again in the fifth. Following a one-out shot into left-center for Texas State, Hayes was pulled in favor of fellow freshman Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover). With the next batter, the Bobcats launched another home run into right field for a 4-4 tie. Texas State moved into the lead at 5-4 when a passed ball allowed the go-ahead run to cross home plate.
 
“I don’t. Our freshmen are doing really well,” Sutcliffe said about concerns of starting a freshman pitcher. “At this point in the year, we’re not really worried about what class they’re in. They’ve been putting in the work. I think everybody just needs to settle in and figure out how to use their tools to best maximize their effort.”
 
Texas State kept the runs coming in the sixth inning with an RBI double and RBI single to push their advantage to 7-4. However, the Huskies stayed in the game in the following half inning, as Grable reached on a single. After being pinch run for by Kristyn Barrett (Monticello, Ill./Monticello), Woollard got Barrett to third on an error, while Rebecca Rupard (Normal, Ill./Normal West) got Barrett home after reaching on an error.
 
In the seventh, the Bobcats squashed any hopes of a Huskie rally with a seven-run, five-hit inning, cruising to the win in the process.
 
The Huskies continue in Texas tomorrow with two more games. NIU clashes with Sam Houston State at 3 p.m. before getting a rematch with Pitt at 5:30 p.m.