Final Stats

AKRON, Ohio -- Facing an early hole, the Northern Illinois University softball team made a valiant comeback Wednesday evening against Miami, but couldn't get over the hump in a 6-4 loss in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Down 6-0 after four innings, the Huskies (28-24) scored four times in the fifth inning against the RedHawks (32-22), including a three-run home run by Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) that tied her with Jill Justin for the most career home runs in program history.

"Obviously, we got off to a really slow start offensively," said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. "We were just being too picky in the box, letting pitches go and looking at too many strikes. We had more in that game than we had all season."



After a scoreless first, Miami drew first blood in the bottom of the second. Two walks and a fielder's choice loaded the bases for the RedHawks and Kylie McChesney. McChesney delivered with a sharp single to left field to bring home one run, but Bryanna Phelan (Coal City, Ill./Coal City) fired home to get the second runner out easily and end the inning without any further damage.

The RedHawks tacked on another run in the third to make it 2-0. Tiyona Marshall got Miami in scoring position with a lead-off triple, while Tanya Busby's single through the middle of the infield brought Marshall home. The RedHawks threatened to add to the lead, but Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) got out of the inning with consecutive strikeouts.

The runs kept coming for Miami in the fourth, as they put up four to make it a commanding 6-0 advantage. With runners on second and third and one out, Marshall got a RBI single to make it 3-0. Two batters later, Eryn McCarver reached on an error to bring in another run. Shanyn McIntyre capped the scoring with a two-run triple to push the score to 6-0.

Yet, the Huskies answered with a resounding four-run fifth inning. A pair of free passes and an Allyson Hecht (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) single loaded the bases for Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward), who brought in the first run on a groundout. Two pitches later, Grable drilled a 0-1 pitch to left-center to trim the deficit to 6-4.

"We actually didn't chase and we got the pitches we needed to," Sutcliffe said. "We were able to get a nice hit up the middle and then Kayti came through. It was nice to see them come back."

The momentum carried into the sixth for NIU, as Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle) drew a walk and Jessica Sturm (Wichita, Kan./Goddard) singled through the left side to put the Huskies in business. A sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position, but the RedHawks escaped with a strikeout and a groundout to keep NIU off the board.

With the heart of the order up in the seventh, Miami drew a groundout, a flyout and a popout to end the Huskies' comeback and move on to the semifinals.

NIU gets back on the diamond tomorrow when they face Akron in a 5 p.m. CT first pitch.