Head softball coach Dee Abrahamson once said that pitching will need to dominate if the NIU softball team is to contend this season.

Abrahamson got a sample of dominating pitching on Sunday as the Huskies swept visiting Indiana State to open NIU’s fall schedule.

Kristen Vandenhouten, Tracy Meade, and Kim Compton combined in the twin bill to shut out the Sycamores and allow only five hits.

The Huskies scored two in the second inning of the first game on freshman Ann Colgan’s two-out single with runners on second and third. Colgan was playing in her first intercollegiate game and impressed Abrahamson a great deal.

“She played a fantastic first game,” said Abrahamson. “She was a little nervous because she doesn’t normally play left field. But she did a fine job.”

With a 2-0 lead, Vandenhouten took care of the rest, pitching a near-perfect game that was interrupted only by a single in the sixth.

NIU scored one more run in the top half of the sixth when Ree Zenner doubled in a run to make the final score: NIU 3, ISU 0.

The nightcap ended with the same final score as Meade got the win and Compton the save, combining on the four-hit shutout.

Once again, the Huskies struck early, scoring two in the first and adding one more run in the second.

After Lori Reimer walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice, Stacey Paller doubled to start the scoring. The next batter was Zenner who promptly singled to score Paller.

The third and final run came in the second when Reimer singled with two runners on to make the score 3-0 in favor of NIU.