Final Stats

WMU 7-NIU 4 Box Score 

WMU 4-NIU 6 Box Score 

DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University softball team salvaged its weekend series with Western Michigan by splitting a doubleheader at Mary M. Bell Field Saturday.

With the Huskies (28-13, 9-5) won game one, 6-4, after Western Michigan (18-19, 9-4) took the first game of the day, 7-4.

“Their pitcher [Allyson Kus] did a really nice job against us this weekend,” said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. “She kept us in check. We had to win game two. That’s all there was to it. It was a good job by us to pull through and come out with the win.”

The Huskies pounded out 11 hits and chased the starter in Saturday’s nightcap. Pitchers Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) and Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) combined to keep Western Michigan at bay in the second game.

“Tara did a really nice job yesterday as well,” Sutcliffe said. “She had a nice series against them. Alex was able to come in and close the door on the game.”

After the Broncos opened up a 2-0 lead in the second inning of game two when two runs scored on an errant throw by Emily Naegele (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) trying to throw out Brook Wyman, on a double steal. The throw went in center field and got past center fielder Jenny Van Geerty (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover), allowing the two runners to score.

The Huskies responded in the bottom of the inning with a three spot. Caitlyn Warren (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) blasted a leadoff homer to left center. With two on and two outs, Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) doubled to right center driving in Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) and Van Geertry.

NIU tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning. Jessica Rio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East) drove in Harnish with an RBI single to right. With runners on first and third, Kossakowski, who was on third, took home when Bronco pitcher Anissa Sanchez deflected an attempt to throw out Rio who stole second.

The Huskies added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when Harnish singled in Abby Howlett (South Elgin, Ill./St.Charles North) who was on second after a two-out double.

Western Michigan came back with two runs in the top of the sixth. However, the damage could have been much worse. Frenz came in to pitch for Thacker, got Kelsea Cichoki to fly out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Frenz pitched a perfect seventh to pick up her first career save.

“I told her as she got off that that was a huge pitch for her,” she said of Frenz retiring Cichoki. “The next player coming up kind of had her number. We would’ve had to pitch to her with the bases loaded. I would say that was the pivotal moment of the game.”

A fourth inning grand slam proved to be the difference in the first game of the day.

Western Michigan opened a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning. NIU came back with a run in the second on an RBI single by Van Geertry. The Huskies then took a 4-2 advantage, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third. All three runs came with two outs.

Unfortunately for NIU, the Broncos broke the game wide open in the top of the fourth when Abby Stoner hit a one-out grand slam over the left center field fence. WMU added an insurance run in the seventh. However, NIU went down in order in its last at bat.

The Huskies return to action Friday when NIU travels to Ypsilanti, Mich. to face Eastern Michigan. First pitch for the series opener is set for 2 p.m. CT.

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