Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Northern Illinois University softball team opened its 2018 regular season with a pair of setbacks in the first day of the Florida Atlantic University "First-Pitch" Classic on Friday. 
 
The Huskies lost to Ohio State in the opening game, 9-1, before falling to Boston University, 6-2.  All three Huskie runs on the day were scored in the first inning.
 
"It was great starting both games with the lead," said NIU head softball coach Christina Sutcliffe. "We did a nice job getting runners in scoring position in both games, we just need to execute better once we are in those situations. Once our defense settles in, we will make a lot of plays we didn't today."
 
In the first game of the day against the Buckeyes, NIU (0-2) jumped on top, 1-0, when senior Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) scored the lone unearned run off of a failed pickoff attempt.  Harnish led off the game with a single and advanced to third when Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) reached on an error and an Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle) walk.
 
Unfortunately for NIU, the Buckeyes scored four runs in the third and fourth innings to take an 8-1 lead. Harnish led the way for the NIU offense, recording both Huskie hits in the game. She also had a single in the third inning. 
 
Junior Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./ Oakville) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits in two and a third innings pitched.  Freshman Mackenzie Bryan (Elwood, Ind./ Elwood) came into relief and gave up five runs and four hits in three and a third innings. 
 
"It was great to see Coach K and playing OSU on the same field I played on was a special moment," said Sutcliffe. "Hopefully we are able to play a tighter game tomorrow."
 
In the game two of the day, NIU led Boston University, 2-1, before the Terriers scored five runs in the last two innings to defeat the Huskies, 6-2. 
 
In a virtual replay of how NIU scored its first run of the season, Harnish scored on a failed pick off attempt to score the game's first run.  She reached on an error to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a walk. After advancing to third on an error by the catcher,
 
Woollard then singled home sophomore Anne Allen (Frankfort, Ill. / Lincoln-Way North) later in the inning to grow the Huskies lead to 2-0.  However, that would be all the scoring NIU would do in the game.
 
Boston cut the NIU lead in half with a run in the third and took the lead, 4-2, with a three-run sixth. The Terriers added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Senior Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/ North Canton Hoover) went five and two thirds innings giving up eight hits and four runs.  Thacker also struck out two and walked one. 
 
The Huskies continue the FAU "First-Pitch" Classic on Saturday when NIU faces Michigan State at 2:45 p.m. and at 7:45 p.m. in a rematch against Ohio State.
 
–NIU–