Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Softball team split its doubleheader with Bowling Green, but took the series at an offense-heavy day at Mary M. Bell Field Saturday.
 
The Huskies (16-12, 4-2) suffered an 11-5 setback to Bowling Green (16-21, 2-4) in the first game of the day, but rallied in the nightcap to post a 7-3 victory to win the series over the Falcons.
 
"Anytime you're winning a series in a conference weekend, you're doing what you want to do," said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. "We just need to figure out how to play a better game two [of the series]. That's two series in a row that we've played a really bad game two."
 
Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) and Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) continued her outstanding homestand, going 3-for-6 on the day with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Kossakowski went 4-for-6 from the leadoff spot with three RBIs and five runs scored. The Huskie senior belted a home run in each game.
 
"All three games we did enough offensively to win all three games," Sutcliffe said. "Anytime you're scoring five or more runs you should be winning that game. I'm really happy with our homestand and what we were able to do."
 
Emma Ray (Verona, Wis./Verona West) and Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Hoover Canton) combined to allow three runs on seven hits and four walks in NIU's series clinching victory. NIU's offense jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and three in the second.
 
The Huskies opened the scoring when Kossakowski displayed her speed and hustle scoring from second on a bloop single by Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle). Woollard came around to score when Dominique Greeno (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) singled to left and the Falcon outfielder misplayed the ball.
 
RBI's by Kossakowski and Kayti Grable (Santana, Calif./Santee) keyed the Huskies' three-run second. Kossakowski came around to score her second run of the game when the Bowling Green catcher threw the ball into centerfield on a stolen base attempt.
 
Bowling Green came back with two runs in the third and a run in the fourth inning. The Falcons had a big inning going in the fourth, but the Huskie defense was able to get out of it with minimal damage. With the bases loaded and no outs, Thacker threw out a runner at home for the first out of the game and Grable recorded the second out of the frame when she was able to throw out a runner at home. Woollard caught a foul ball for the third out of the inning and end the threat.
 
Kossakowski hit her second home run of the game when she hit a fly ball to centerfield. The ball landed in the Falcon outfielder's glove and then bounced out and over the fence and capped the scoring for NIU.
 
The first game of the day was all Bowling Green. After a scoreless first by both clubs, the Falcons jumped out to an 8-0 lead through the next two inning. BG posted a three-run second and a big five-run third. NIU responded with back-to-back homers by Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and Kossakowski in the bottom of the inning.
 
With the score, 9-2, in the bottom of the fifth, the Huskies posted a three-run fifth, highlighted by a two-run double by Harnish. However, the Falcons came back with a two-run sixth to put away the Huskies.
 
NIU returns to action Tuesday when the Huskies travel to Muncie, Ind. For a doubleheader with Ball State. First pitch for game one is set for 12 p.m. CT with the second game to follow.
 
-NIU-