Final Stats

Ohio 3, NIU 1 Box Score PDF 

AKRON, Ohio -- The Northern Illinois University softball team was ousted by Ohio on Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Tournament, dropping a 3-1 decision that ended NIU's season with a MAC third-place finish after four days of softball at Firestone Stadium in Akron.

In the losers' bracket final, the Huskies (35-20) attempted a late rally against the Bobcats (37-22), tallying one run in the sixth when Jordyn Bowen (Libertyville, Ill./Grayslake) tripled and scored following a clutch two-out single by Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central). NIU almost took the lead immediately after when Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) hit a deep fly ball to left that was caught by Ohio outfielder Michaela Dorsey as she tumbled over the fence.

NIU softball head coach Christina Sutcliffe was disappointed by the defeat but emphasized that winning the program's first MAC West title since 2000 and posting another winning season signified where the Huskies are heading in the future.

"It was a shame to go down not really playing our best. We didn't have good enough offense or defense in that game. It's tough to lose that way," Sutcliffe said. "But we had a tremendous season, broke a lot of records and the program took a huge step forward this season."

Following an hour delay due to cold and wet conditions in Akron on Saturday, Ohio manufactured the game's first run in the top of the first inning. The Bobcats' speedy lead-off hitter Taylor Saxton reached base, stole second, went to third on a groundout and made it home when Morgan Geno put down an RBI sacrifice bunt.

Ohio added its second run in the third inning -- one that would prove decisive -- when Jamie Wren hit a solo home run after Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) replaced starter Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) in the circle. That was the only long ball allowed by NIU pitching during the MAC Tournament as Frenz and Thacker combined to give up just three earned runs over 28 innings pitched.

When the Huskies cut the deficit to 2-1 during the drama-filled sixth inning, the Bobcats responded by scoring their third run in the seventh inning after Saxton again used her speed to produce offense and eventually cross the plate on another Geno RBI.

The NIU defense produced mixed results on Saturday, committing four errors but also turning two double plays thanks to quick thinking and execution by middle infielders Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) and Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central).

The Huskies went 2-2 this week at the MAC Tournament, earning a top-three finish in the conference's postseason event for the third time in four years under Coach Sutcliffe, who highlighted the careers of seniors Emily Naegele (Oak Forest, Ill./Radford) and Caitlyn Warren (Naperville, Ill./Wisconsin) after both finished their collegiate careers on Saturday.

"Naegele and Warren are certainly going to be really tough to replace, but they've laid a great foundation for the future of our program with their hard work and dedication," Sutcliffe said.

After the conclusion of the MAC Tournament, Naegele and Frenz were both selected to the MAC All-Tournament Team after big weeks in Akron.

NIU softball reached the 35-win plateau for the 2016 season with Thursday's victory over No. 1 seed Kent State, marking the program's first campaign with that many victories since 1999 and just the eighth 35-win season in Huskie softball history.

--NIU--