Final Stats

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Northern Illinois University softball team opened their extended Florida trip in a good way Saturday with wins over Sacred Heart and Florida A&M.

The Huskies started the day with Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) fanning nine SHU batters in a 1-0 win. NIU followed that with a 9-2 rout of FAMU.

"In game one, Keegan threw very well and was able to shut the door on them and pitch a 1-0 shutout," said NIU Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe. "That was nice to see. Our pitching staff really stepped up today. Jess, Keegan and Tara threw phenomenal.

"Offense made adjustments. We hit the ball hard, just at people quite a bit, but was able to do enough to get us two victories. Hopefully, we can get it rolling and continue it into tomorrow."

Game One: Hayes Shuts Down Sacred Heart, 1-0

A dominant pitching effort from Keegan Hayes lifted NIU to a 1-0 victory over Sacred Heart.

Hayes halted the Pioneers' offense, scattering six hits over seven innings and striking out nine. Meanwhile, fellow freshman Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle) knocked in Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) for the lone run of the game.

Hayes came out dealing for the Huskies with four strikeouts in the first two innings, while allowing just four hits over four innings to start the game. The Naperville, Illinois, native stranded a runner on second in the first and fourth innings, then left two runners on base to close out the third.

Though NIU couldn't get much going in the first three innings, the bats woke up in the fourth. Harnish and Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santee) opened the inning with singles, the advanced to second and third on a double steal. Woollard made the move count with a grounder that scored Harnish.

As for the Huskie defense, Hayes made sure SHU couldn't come back by allowing just three total baserunners between the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. In the fifth, the Pioneers got runners on first and second with one out, but Hayes clamped down and forced a flyout and a strikeout to end the threat.

With the game on the line in the seventh, the freshman left no doubt with a strikeout, pop out and fly out to end the game.

Game Two: Huskie Offense Rattles Florida A&M

NIU's offense exploded in the second game of the day with a 9-2 victory over Florida A&M.

Alaynie Woollard's three-run home run opened the scoring for the Huskies as part of a four-run second inning, while a three-run seven cemented the win over the Rattlers.

Following a scoreless first frame, NIU got to work in the second with singles from Jessica Sturm (Wichita, Kan./Goddard) and Allyson Hecht (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) to open the inning. Moments later, Woollard swung for the fences with a three-run roundtripper. Kayti Grable added to that lead with an RBI fielder's choice.

FAMU, though, got a run back in the bottom half of the inning. With a runner on and two outs, Alyssa Weaver plated Amber Fullwood to get the Rattlers on the board. Yet, the Huskies got that run back in the third, as Kali Kossakowski's (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) double scored Woollard.

The offense continued in the fourth with Sturm clobbering a two-out double into the left power alley. Hecht made the extra-base hit count with a single to bring home the fellow senior.

Though the Rattlers added another run in the second, Sturm and Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) kept FAMU's bats silent for the majority of the game. In the final three innings, the duo combined to allow just one hit and two baserunners.

Though the defense had FAMU in check, the offense put up some insurance runs in the seventh. Kossakowski started the scoring with another RBI double, as she plated Woollard and Hecht. Kaitlyn Barrett (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) put the finishing touches on the win with a sacrifice fly to bring in Kossakowski.

The Huskies close out the weekend tomorrow with a 3 p.m. contest against Southern Illinois.