Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Northern Illinois University Softball team split its doubleheader with Central Michigan at Margo Jonker Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
The Huskie (22-18, 10-8) suffered a 9-1 setback in the first game of the day to Central Michigan (30-13, 13-5) before posting a 2-1 win the Chippewas in the series finale.
 
"We did a really nice job off of [Rachel] Knapp this weekend," said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. "We stayed patient and taking the pitching we could, putting them in play and making them pay."
 
A two-run third by NIU proved to be the difference in the win for the Huskies. Trailing 1-0 with runners at second and third and no outs, Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) surprised everyone with a bunt. Jessica Rio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East), who was on third, came in to score on the squeeze play. Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central), who was on second, advanced to third on the play.
 
After Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) coaxed a one out walk, Harnish scored the second run of the game when her and Kossakowski executed a double steal.
 
Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville) and Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) and the Huskie defense took it from there. Hayes kept the Chippewas off the scoreboard the next two-and-a-third innings and Thacker came in in relief with a runner on and one out and recorded the final eight outs for the game to pick up the save.
 
"I think we played our best defense of the series in the last game," Sutcliffe said. "Keegan and Tara continued to pitch as well as they did on Friday. We put the two together and it resulted in a win."
 
Game two was all Central Michigan. The Chippewas scored two runs in the first, four in the third and three more in the fourth to open up a 9-0 lead. The Huskies scored a run in the fifth on a Harnish groundout.
 
NIU returns to the field Wednesday when the Huskies return home for a doubleheader with Valparaiso at Mary M. Bell Field. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT with the second game to follow. Live stats and live video will be available on NIUHuskies.com.
 
-NIU-