DeKALB – NIU softball dropped both games of its Saturday doubleheader against Army West Point and the University of Kansas on the second day of the University of South Florida tournament. 

GAME ONE

The Huskies took on Army in the first game of the doubleheader, losing by a final score of 4-3. NIU kept the game close, but eventually ran out of at-bats and fell just short of a come-from-behind victory. 

Freshman pitcher Lily Cassell got the start for the Huskies, only managing two innings while giving up three runs on five hits. Junior pitcher Emily Dato came out of the bullpen in the third inning. Dato finished the game, going five innings and giving up only one run while also picking up three strikeouts. 

Army jumped out to an early lead as they scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Senior infielder Angelina Bebek scored Army’s first run on a double to center field. Bebek came around to score on freshman infielder Taylor Brown’s RBI single later in the inning. 

Army tacked on another run in the third inning after junior infielder Lauren Little drove in Brown to extend Army’s lead to 3-0. The final run of the game for Army came in the fifth inning when Little hit a solo homerun to make the score 4-1.

NIU got on the board in the third inning when junior infielder Caitlyn Schumaker drove in junior outfielder Courtney James to make the score 3-1. After the Huskies went down 4-1, they scored two in the sixth inning to make it a one run game. The first run came on an RBI single from senior infielder Kelly Walinski, then freshman outfielder Ally Rodriguez drove in freshman outfielder Brianna Pechman on an RBI groundout. 

The Huskies’ late rally was not enough to overtake Army, as the Huskies’ three-game winning streak came to an end. 

GAME TWO

NIU lost the second game of its double header to the University of Kansas Jayhawks by a final score of 5-0. The Huskies were shut out and only totaled six hits in the game. 

Freshman pitcher Danielle Stewart started the game for NIU, totaling 4.1 innings pitched. Stewart surrendered all five runs – four earned – on six hits in the game. Stewart also led the Huskies in hits, picking up two hits in three at-bats. 

Junior pitcher Claire Norred finished the game out of the bullpen, pitching 2.2 innings and tallying three strikeouts without giving up a run. 

Kansas jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back after a two-run homer in the first inning by junior utility player Lyric Moore. The Jayhawks scored again in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by sophomore utility player Olivia Bruno, making the score 3-0. 

Kansas scored their last two runs of the game in the fifth inning on a two-run double by Bruno, scoring freshman outfielder Presley Limbaugh and senior utility player Peyton Renzi to secure the Jayhawks’ 5-0 win.

The Huskies will play their final game of the USF Tournament against the University of South Florida at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Tampa, Florida, at the USF Softball Stadium.