NIU softball (11-21, 6-7 MAC) played the Bowling Green State University Falcons (13-23, 5-7 MAC) in a doubleheader on Saturday. The two games played out similarly but ended with different outcomes.
SLUGGISH SCORING
In the day’s first game, NIU struggled to produce on offense and score runs.
“When we got people on we weren’t able to get a bunt down or if we did we moved them over and then we just couldn’t bring them in,” NIU softball head coach Kathryn Gleason said. “That’s something we’ve talked about all season is situational hitting.”
The Huskies knocked 7 hits in 26 at-bats in the first game. A higher mark than the Falcon’s 3 hits.
The Huskies failed to capitalize on any of their hits, as Bowling Green’s fielding held NIU to zero runs.
A key point came in the fourth inning when Bowling Green junior second baseman Hannah Hunt hit a single to get on base.
From there, the Falcons continued to advance Hunt until another single from Bowling Green sophomore shortstop Cameron Kaufman fouled a ball past center-right field and brought Hunt home for the lone run of the game.
The rest of the game was a defensive battle en route to the Huskies falling 1-0.
BREAKING THE SLUMP
The second game saw an uptick in the Huskies’ production at the plate.
NIU broke the seal in the third inning when sophomore midinfielder/outfielder Alana Powell stole home base to score the Huskies’ first run of the day.
A big play came later in the third from senior third baseman Madison Mathews who slammed a double into center field to bring in NIU’s second and final run on the day.
“My first at-bat I was really fouling the ball off, I was getting under it and then I had a foul ball again in my second at-bat,” Mathews said. “I was finally able to make the adjustment, get on top and I just trusted in my training and it all worked out.”
Another standout Huskie was junior pitcher Lily Cassell, who got through 13 at-bats before letting up her first hit in the fifth inning. She credited her performance to her confidence on the mound and her teammates.
“Confidence honestly,” Cassell said. “I think we’ve had such a great consecutive series and our defense has really stepped up. We just continue to play hard and back each other up and I think that’s allowed me to be really confident on the mound.”
NIU closed out the Falcons 2-0 off the back of Cassell’s performance and solid all-around fielding.
UP NEXT
NIU softball continues its season at noon Sunday, taking on Bowling Green for the third and final game of their series against the Falcons. Live stats can be found on SIDEARM Sports.
