ST. CHARLES, Mo.—Splitting a doubleheader against the Lindenwood University Lions (5-7), the Northern Illinois University Huskies (5-8) softball battled this afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Missouri. The Huskies fell in game one, 2-1, as Lindenwood scored late in the game. After trailing in the second game, the Huskies came from behind to win in eight innings, 3-2.
The Huskies were out hit 6-4 in the first game while marking their fourth zero error game this season.
Rylie Hartman (Kankakee, Ill./Herscher) had a career game in the second game with her first multi-run game. NIU outhit Lindenwood in the second game, 8-5.
"It was a tough day. We've been timid at the plate and just need one person to relax. We've had great pitching and defenses performances," said NIU head coach Kathryn Gleason. "Rylie stepped in behind the plate at catcher and she and Lia had great games today. We (continue) to learn from one game to the next game. Madison (Mathews) had two great hits late and they gave each other energy throughout the game. Lily went all eight innings, and that endurance from all our pitchers will help us throughout the season. We will take the momentum from this game, get some good practices in, and will be prepared for Wisconsin and SIU."
Game One Recap (NIU 1, Lindenwood 2)
Jenna Turner (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) got the first hit of the game in the third inning as she recorded the first stolen base of the game.
Madison Mathews (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) led the fourth inning off with a single to second base. Mathews continued to round the bases to score the first run of the game on a Hartman RBI single.
Turner singled to shortstop in the fifth inning as the Huskies left two stranded on base.
Lindenwood responded in the sixth inning with back-to-back home runs to defeat the Huskies, 2-1.
Game Two Recap (NIU 3, Lindenwood 2 | 8 Innings)
Lindenwood entered the scoreboard first in game two, scoring a pair of runs on a Huskie defensive error in the second inning.
Brianna Pechman (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago Community) had the first hit of the game for the Huskies, singling to the pitcher in the third inning.
Lia Nance (Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside) ended her no-hit drought with a single in the fourth before collecting her first career stolen base. The offense would quickly put runners in scoring position as Hartman scored the first run of the game for NIU on a Mathews' RBI single.
Hartman scored the second run of the game in the sixth inning, as Mathews' had an RBI single to center field.
Turner marked her fourth consecutive game with a hit in the seventh with a single to left-center field. Turner advanced to second before the Lions defense collected a pair of outs to end the inning.
In a game that featured additional innings, Hartman scored for a third time on a Mathews' RBI, this time a double to put the Huskies in front, 3-2. The Huskie defense called Lindenwood's Izzy Wilcox out at home before ending the game with a
Lily Cassell (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone) strikeout for the comeback win.
Huskie Highlights
- With her two hits in the first game, Turner has recorded her fifth multi-hit game of the season.
- Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way-East) collected five of the seven NIU strikeouts in the first game.
- Nance recorded her second multi-hit game of the season with two hits in the second game of the day.
- Mathews recorded her third game with three hits this season in the second game as she went 3-of-4 at the plate.
- Cassell recorded a pair of strikeouts in the second game for the Huskies.
The Huskies softball team returns to action March 8-9 as they compete at the Southern Illinois University Tournament. The Huskies will have first pitch at 11 a.m. on March 8 against Wisconsin before facing SIU at 4 p.m. on the opening day.
