DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University softball team scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth as the Huskies rallied for an 8-6 victory over Buffalo on Sunday afternoon (May 8) in the season finale at Mary M. Bell Field.
Bianca Barone (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) drove in what proved to be the winning run as the Huskies came from behind for the win.
"I told our team at the end that I can't be prouder of them the way they finished the season," said NIU head coach
Christina Sutcliffe. "They finished the season better than they started and our offense showed that today, coming from behind to get the win.
Sam Mallinder (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) hit a pair of home runs in the contest while Barone had three hits and
Katie Keller (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) had a pair of hits and two RBIs.
Buffalo scored a trio of runs in the top of the fifth to take a 6-4 lead before the Huskies scored two in the bottom of the frame and two in the sixth for the win.
In the fifth, Mallinder hit a solo shot to centerfield, her second home run of the game, to cut the Buffalo lead to just one.
Caitlyn Shumaker (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) moved into scoring position as she reached on fielder's choice and stole second before a single to left by
Ellis Erickson (Lutz, Fla./Freedom) drove home Shumaker to tie the contest.
Claire Norred (Tipton, Ind./Tipton) struck out the side in the top of the sixth and the Huskies capitalized with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Keller hit a single through the left side and Mallinder walked to bring Barone to the plate with two outs. A single up the middle from the Machesney Park, Ill., native brought home Keller to give the Huskies a lead as Mallinder advanced to third. Mallinder scored one batter later on a wild pitch, giving the Huskies a two-run lead.
"That's what (Katie) Keller does," said Sutcliffe of igniting the two-run seventh. "She just gets it going for us. She doesn't do too much, that was a big at-bat for her, it could be the last one of her career, so for her to poke it through is big time."
The Bulls were retired in order by Norred in the seventh as the Huskies picked up the win.
Buffalo scored a run in the first and a run in the second before NIU got on the board with a solo home run from Mallinder in the third. The Bulls got that run back with a solo home run of their own in the fourth before the Huskies scored three in the bottom of the fourth to take their first lead of the game.
Singles from
Madison Mathews (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) and
Amberly Rodriguez (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield) brought
Mackenzie Mahy (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) to the plate with runners on first and second. Mahy then hit a line drive off down the third-base line that was knocked down by the Buffalo third baseman, but it rolled away just far enough to allow Erickson to score from second. Two batters later, Keller doubled to left center, scoring Rodriguez and Mahy.
Norred allowed just one run in three innings, striking out four, in relief of
Emily Dato (Munster, Ind./Munster), who went four-plus innings.
Anna Aguno had a pair of hits in the contest for Buffalo while Alexis Matheney drove in a pair of runs.
NIU finishes the season with a 17-28 overall record, including a 10-18 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
