DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University softball team defeated the Buffalo Bulls 7-5 on Saturday, completing the series sweep at Mary M. Bell Field. 
 
NIU (13-20, 4-2 MAC) outscored the Bulls 25-6 in the three-game series.  It is the Huskies' first Mid-American Conference series sweep since April 28-29, 2017, against Eastern Michigan, as NIU moves to 4-0 at home. 
 
"A sweep of a MAC opponent is a big deal for us," said NIU head softball coach Christina Sutcliffe. "It is from a standpoint of trying to get ourselves back in the rankings within the MAC and for momentum moving forward." 
 
The Huskies took an early 1-0 lead as junior Sam Schmidt (Lombard, Ill. /Willowbrook) hit a solo home run to centerfield in the bottom of the first. It was her first home run of the season and the fifth of her career.  Schmidt was 2-for-3 at the plate for her sixth straight multi-hit game. 
 
The Bulls responded in the third inning to take their first lead of the series.  With the bases loaded, senior Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) walked in a run and gave up a two-run single to Catrell Robertson as Buffalo took a 3-1 lead.  The Huskies got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when junior Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill. /Lincoln-Way East) hit a home run over the centerfield fence to make the score 3-2.   
 
Buffalo (11-17, 3-3 MAC) added a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Anna Aguon which extended the lead to 4-2.  NIU took back the lead in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs and a runner at second, Lamich doubled to leftfield,  driving in Anne Allen (Frankfort, Ill. /Lincoln-Way North) to make the score 4-3.  Van Geertry then tripled, bringing Katie Lamich (Naperville, Ill. /Naperville Central) around to score to tie the game 4-4.  Junior Dominique Greeno (Lacey, Wash. /North Thurston) then reached on an error by the third basemen Danielle Lallos, which allowed Van Geertry to score and put the Huskies up 5-4.   
 
The Bulls tied the game 5-5 on an RBI single in the top of the fifth. NIU rebounded in the bottom half of the inning. Senior Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill. /Burlington Central) led off with a single.  After a groundout, Allen ripped a double to the right-centerfield wall to score Harnish and make the score 6-5.  Lamich added an eventual insurance run with a two-out RBI infield single to give NIU a 7-5 lead. Buffalo had a chance to tie the game in the sixth, but junior Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) pitched out of a bases loaded jam by getting Robertson to fly out to Van Geertry to end the inning.
 
Frenz pitched three-and-two-thirds innings of relief, allowing two runs on eight hits to earn her fifth win of the season.  Freshman Mackenzie Bryan (Elwood, Ind. /Elwood) recorded her first save of the season, getting the last two outs of the game. 
 
 "I really enjoy relief and it is relaxing," said Frenz.  "It is my first year of pitching relief, but I really enjoy it so far.  I think I am enjoying coming in after somebody."
 
The Huskies travel to Muncie, Ind., on Tuesday April 3, for a mid-week doubleheader MAC Showdown with the Ball State Cardinals. The first game starts at noon while the second game starts at 2 p.m.  All times are Central.
 
-NIU-