DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University softball team wrapped up its five-game homestand with a pair of come-from-behind walk-off victories to sweep Loyola at Mary M. Bell Field Wednesday.
NIU (22-21) came back twice in game one to post a 7-6 victory over the Ramblers (22-19) before earning a 6-3 walk-off win over Loyola after waiting out an hour and 20 minute rain delay.
It was the bottom of the Huskie order that powered in all three NIU rallies in game one. A strong performance by the Huskie pitching staff in both contests proved key in both games.
"I was happy with our tenacity today at the plate, especially in that first game," said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. I liked the way we stayed patient. We definitely got out hit, but we made our hits count. We obviously capitalized on a couple of their mistakes, but hung in there and stayed with it."
With Loyola leading 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh of game one, the Huskies came back with a pair of runs to send the game into extras. With runners on second and third with one out, Kayla Scaperotta (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs Charter School), who came in to pinch hit for Jessica Rio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East), came in a dropped a two-run single into right field to tie the game.
After a scoreless eighth inning, Loyola took a 6-3 lead with three runs in the ninth. NIU responded in the bottom of the inning to tie the game once again. With the bases loaded and two down, Sam Schmidt (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) hit a bases-clearing single to center field to tie the game once again.
After keeping Loyola off the board in the 10th and 11th, the Huskies mounted one more rally in the bottom of the 11th. Dominique Greeno (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) began things with a one out single and advanced to second on a Rio single.
Katie Lamich (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) then hit a hot shot to shortstop, who turned to third to try and get Greeno. However, the throw got away from the Rambler third baseman and Greeno came across to score the winning run.
The bottom of the order combined to go 5-for-14 with five RBIs and a run scored. Schmidt was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) picked up the win in relief of Mackenzie Bryan (Elwood, Ind./Elwood) going three and a third, allowing three runs on five hits.
The Huskies need late-game heroics once again to take game two. Frenz, who also started game two, allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits in two-plus innings of work. Like Frenz did for Bryan in game one, Amber Bumbalough (Bremerton, Wash./Kiahowya Secondary) picked up for Frenz in game two.
The Huskie freshman came in to pitch with a runner at second and no outs in the third inning and effectively shut down the Rambler offense. Bumbalough pitched five innings of shutout softball, allowing just four Loyola hits to earn her first collegiate win.
"That's the longest she's gone innings-wise," Sutcliffe said. "For her to have the gas and stamina to pick up her first career win, that was pretty cool."
The NIU offense took over in the bottom of the fourth with a three spot. Katie Keller (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) doubled to left and scored on a Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) single to left.
Van Geertry advanced to second on a wild pitch and Kara Apato (Oak Lawn, Ill./Marist) walked giving Greeno an RBI opportunity. The Huskie senior laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to score Van Geertry from third. Apato then scored when Greeno tried to take an extra base on the preoccupied Rambler defense to tie the game, 3-3.
The game was then halted in the top of the fifth due to weather. After the delay and three scoreless innings by the Ramblers, the Huskies avoided a second-straight extra inning game.
With two on and one out, Keller blasted a walk-off three-run home run over the right field fence to give NIU the victory and complete the sweep.
The Huskies return to the field Friday when NIU resumes conference play at Central Michigan. First pitch for game one of the series is set for 2 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader starts at 12 p.m. CT.
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