DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University softball team swept a doubleheader from Toledo on Saturday (May 6) to close regular season play. Sophomore Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) drove in five runs while senior Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) and sophomore Abby Howlett (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) each drove home four as the Huskies took game one, 9-6, and completed the sweep with a 13-4 win in game two. 

In the first game of the day, Van Geertry's three-run home run ignited a five-run fourth inning that helped propel the Huskies to victory while in the second game of the afternoon a grand slam from Kossakowski sparked a nine-run fourth frame as the Huskies finished the afternoon sweep with a five-inning victory. 

The pair of wins improved NIU to 30-19 on the season, 15-9 in Mid-American Conference play, and marks the first time NIU has posted back-to-back 30-win seasons since the 1999 and 2000 campaigns. 

After Toledo took a one-run lead in the first inning of game one, NIU scored a pair in the bottom of the second to take the lead. Kossakowski and junior Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle) got on base to lead off the inning and, two batters later, Howlett hit a two RBI double to left center to give the Huskies the lead. 

A three-run third inning gave the lead back to Toledo, 4-2, until the Huskies scored five in the fourth. With two on and two outs, Van Geertry blasted her fifth home run of the season over the fence in left field to give the Huskies a 5-4 lead. Following a Jessica Rio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East) walk, junior Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) drove Rio in with a double to right and senior Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) then singled up the middle, scoring Harnish, as the Huskies led 7-4.

Toledo (24-34, 11-13 MAC) scratched across a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, cutting the Huskie lead to 7-6, but NIU got both runs back in the bottom half of the inning. With two runners on and two outs, an untimely throwing error by the Toledo catcher plated a pair for the Huskies as the lead grew to 9-6. 

In the seventh, junior Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover), who pitched 4.1 in relief, got each of the three Rockets to come to the plate in the inning to fly out to right field as the Huskies claimed a 9-6 victory. 

NIU and Toledo traded runs in the first two innings of the nightcap before the Huskies broke the game open with a nine-run third inning. The first 10 Huskies to come to the plate in the third all reached base as the NIU offense came to life. A walk, a single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Kossakowski who drove a pitch just fair over the fence down the left field line for a grand slam, her eighth home run of the season, to get the inning started.

Following a walk and a double, Howlett drove in two more runs with a single up the middle. After sophomore Dominique Greeno (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) reached base with a single, Van Geertry doubled to bring home two additional runs as the tally for the inning reach eight. The bases were loaded for the second time in the inning as Woollard reached base on a fielder's choice, bringing home senior Jordyn Bowen (Libertyville, Ill./Grayslake) for the ninth run of the frame to give NIU a 10-1 lead.

The Huskies added three more in the fourth. An error and a walk helped set the table for a two RBI double to right center by freshman Kayla Scaperrotta (Margate, Fla./Coral Springs Carter School). Another double to right center, this time from Grable, brought home another run as the Huskies led 13-4.

Toledo scored three in the top of the fifth but, with the bases loaded, junior pitcher Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) induced a pop-up in foul territory to Kossakowski to finish the contest. 

NIU will next travel to Akron, Ohio for the MAC Softball Tournament that begins on Wednesday, May 10 at Firestone Stadium. Check back with NIUHuskies.com for seeding and matchup information.