DeKALB, Ill—Alana Powell (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) hit an RBI double to center field to send Madison Mathews (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) across the plate for the walk-off win as the Northern Illinois University Huskies softball team hosted the Braves of Bradley University in a non-conference matchup. The Huskies (15-22, 9-8 MAC) defeated the Braves (18-25, 7-10 MVC) by a score of 7-6 in eight innings.
 
This is the third extra inning game for the Huskies as they are now 2-1 in eight-inning games this season.
 
Powell and Rylie Hartman (Kankakee, Ill./Herscher) recorded four of the seven hits by NIU with Hartman going 2-for-2 at the plate.
 
"It was great for us to walk that off and what a battle for AP (Alana Powell) in that last at bat. She had struck out the previous time and waited for her pitch," said NIU head coach Kathryn Gleason. "We want to be the instigators in games. This team has a fight mentality, and they are never out of the game. We knew Bradley was going to keep fighting. Lily (Cassell) did a great job coming in and shutting them down. We'll get to work the next two days and be prepared for Kent State."
 
Bradley jumped onto the scoreboard first, scoring three runs in the first two innings.
 
The Huskies offense loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning as Ally Rodriguez (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East) hit an RBI single to send Natalie Miller (Fredonia, Wis./Ozaukee) across the plate for the Huskies first run of the game.

Bradley added a pair of runs in the third to take a 5-1 lead over the Huskies before Powell recorded her first hit of the day to send Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) across the plate. Alanah Velazquez (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter) scored on an RBI from Hartman as Powell made it a one-run game at 5-4 to end the third.
 
Bradley's final run of the game came in the top of the fourth on an RBI double to make the score 6-4 over NIU.
 
Hartman hit her second home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth, sending the ball pass the left field fences. Trinity Jones Estrada (Sylmar, Calif./John F. Kennedy) reached on a walk before scoring on Jenna Turner's (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) RBI single up the middle to tie the game at six.
 
Lily Cassell (La Grange, Ohio/Keystone) allowed just one hit in the final three innings of play as Stewart recorded her lone hit of the game in the sixth inning.
 
In the eighth inning, Mathews reached via a walk before advancing to second with two outs on the board. Powell battled at the plate before sending the ball to center field for the walk-off run.
 
NIU softball returns to action on April 19 and 20 as they travel to Kent State for a three-game series. Action is set to begin with a doubleheader on April 19 as first pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
 
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