DeKALB –  NIU (23-24,12-12 MAC) softball split the first two games of a three-game weekend series against the University at Buffalo (12-34, 6-16 MAC) Saturday at Nan Harvey Field. 

GAME 1

Game 1 in Saturday’s doubleheader ended in a narrow 3-2 victory awarded to the visiting Huskies. The Huskies scored three runs off seven hits while committing just one error. 

Freshman utility player Danielle Stewart lit it up from the mound, setting a career-high nine strikeouts in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. 

NIU junior outfielder Courtney James scored early in the contest with a line-drive to center field to score senior utility player Sam Mallinder for the first RBI in the series.

The Huskies 1-0 lead was short-lived after a back-and-forth second inning that ended 2-1 in favor of the Huskies.

NIU quickly recuperated after a Bulls home run with a double RBI by senior outfielder Kiley Conner.

NIU opened up the sixth inning with a run from freshman infielder Fiona Crane to give NIU a commanding 3-1 lead. A late rally at the bottom of the sixth inning proved futile as a strong defensive performance by NIU spoiled BU’s chances at completing a comeback.

GAME 2

A 4-0 shutout in the first inning propelled the homesteading Bulls to a victory in game two. Buffalo scored four runs off seven hits while committing just two errors. 

Buffalo carried a 4-0 lead for the first two innings when Senior infielder Kelly Walinski put the Huskies on the board with an RBI single. Walinski’s hit allowed junior infielder Caityln Shumaker to reach home plate and cut the lead to 4-1. 

The Huskies moved within two scores when freshman infielder Ally Rodriguez and Freshman utility player Cara Cruthers executed a double steal in the top of the fourth. 

A sluggish performance for the remainder of the contest prevented the Huskies from narrowing the 4-2 gap. Buffalo allowed just one hit during the final three innings to close out the evening.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to string our hits together in the second game,” head softball coach Christina Sutcliffe said via an NIU Atheltic press release “We need to bounce-back and go fight tomorrow.”