DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Softball team returns to the road Tuesday when the Huskies travel to Muncie, Ind. to face Mid-American Conference West leader Ball State in a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Huskies (16-12, 4-2) enter Tuesday's twinbill at Ball State (21-17, 5-1) with a lot of momentum after posting a 5-2 homestand and a series win over Bowling Green.
 
"With Ball State, we need to make sure we finish the game," NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe said. "They had a couple walk-off wins against Miami, so they're going to riding high on that. We just have to go out and play our best ball."
 
NIU is in second place in the division, tied with Central Michigan, and both teams are a game behind the Cardinals for first place in the division.
 
Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) led the way for the Huskies, in the series with the Falcons. The Huskie senior batted .700 and slugged 1.700 in three starts versus the Falcons earning her MAC West Player of the Week honors. Kossakowski took over the team home run lead by hitting a home run in each of the three games with Bowling Green.
 
Kossakowski, along with junior Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central), powered the Huskie offense throughout the seven-game stretch at Mary M. Bell Field. Harnish batted .579, going 11-for-19 at the plate with seven RBIs and six runs scored.
 
While Kossakowski and Harnish set the table for NIU from the top of the order, sophomore Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way North), has been providing the pop at the bottom of the order. Van Geertry batted .526, going 10-for-19 with six extra base hits, including three doubles, a triple and two home runs.
 
"They were just locked in," Sutcliffe said of Kossakowski and Harnish. "Hopefully they can continue on. Jenny gave us a nice spark plug at the bottom of the line up. Whether they stay hot or someone picks them up has kind of been our theme this year. It hasn't necessarily been one person all year."
 
First pitch for game one with the Cardinals is set for 12 p.m. CT, with the second game to follow. Live stats will be available at NIUHuskies.com.
 
-NIU-