AKRON, Ohio – The Northern Illinois University softball team's season came to a conclusion in day three of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament as the Huskies fell to Toledo, 11-6, at Firestone Stadium Friday.
 
What began as a tight game early, turned into a slugfest in the final three innings. Fourteen of the 17 runs scored in the game came in the final two-and-a-half frames. Walks proved to be the difference as the No. 4 seeded Huskies (27-25) allowed eight free passes to No. 7 Toledo (25-26) in the game. The timely hit also eluded NIU as the Huskies stranded eight runners in the game, including three in the first inning.
 
"We left a little too many runners on base early in the game," said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. "Obviously, we couldn't get out of that big inning. You change those two things around and it's a completely different game.
 
Toledo opened the scoring with a run in the first. NIU came back in the bottom of the inning with a scoring chance, loading the bases with one out. However, back-to-back strike outs by Abby Howlett (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) and Kayla Scaperrotta (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs Charter School) ended the inning for NIU.
 
After a couple scoring chances, NIU finally broke through in the fifth. With runners at first and second and two outs, Howlett scorched a single up the middle to drive in Anne Allen (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way North), who led off the inning with a walk, from second to tie the game, 1-1.
 
However, the Rockets responded with a four spot in the top of the sixth to take a 5-1 lead. The first three Rocket batters reached via the walk. A pair of RBI singles sandwiched around an RBI double made NIU pay for the free passes.
 
Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning when she blasted a two-out, two-run homer over the left field fence.
 
"I think that's the cherry on top of her career," Sutcliffe said. "To be able to finish it with a home run, you couldn't right a better script for her."
 
Unfortunately, the Rockets broke the game wide open in the top of the seventh, scoring six runs and batting around in the inning. Toledo's Kylie Norwood led off the inning with a homer to right field to make the score, 6-3. Toledo added another run with a bases loaded walk.
 
After three walks and two runs already in Morgan Paaverud hit a bases clearing double to the right field gap to give Toledo an 11-3 lead and break the game wide open.
 
The Huskies mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh scoring three runs. Freshman Katie Keller (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) led off the inning with a single and advanced all the way to third when Kira Mickelson (Wheatland, Wis./Westosha Central) reached on a fielder's choice and the shortstop's throw to second to get Keller went into right field.
 
Keller scored when Howlett reached on a second error by the Rocket shortstop. Senior Dominique Greeno (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) cleared the bases with a double to deep center.
 
"Our seniors left fighting and that tells you who they are and what kind of program they're leaving," Sutcliffe said.
 
 
-NIU-