NIU softball played Game 1 of its three-game series at Kent State University on Saturday morning. The Huskies (17-23, 11-9 MAC) went back and forth on offense with the Golden Flashes (9-34, 2-17 MAC), with each team seeing the ball well through the storm cloud setting.
After a lightning delay took the game into Sunday, the Huskies had to find an opening in the seventh inning with two outs. NIU completed the comeback to beat KSU 9-8.
“It was a battle all weekend with Kent State,” NIU softball head coach Kathryn Gleason said. “They’re (Kent State) a good team. They battle, they don’t give up. ( I’m) happy to get out of here with the series, you know, and just keep focused on what we’re on, what we’re doing..”
Junior pitcher Danielle “Dee Dee” Stewart (4-10) kept up her offensive hot streak, going 3/4 at the plate. She knocked her second home run of the season out of left field in the fourth inning. She picked up 3 RBIs and scored two total runs.
“Danielle always has a great impact on our team,” Gleason said. “She is our number three hitter, you know, sometimes No. 4. She is just a great athlete and a really determined softball player. You know, she’s a competitor.”
Along with Stewart, senior first/third baseman Madison Mathews showcased a dominant Huskie offense in Kent. Mathews launched her sixth home run of the season out of left field, sending freshman outfielder Lia Nance home. Her two hits and solo run on the day gave her 4RBIs.
“Madison, you know, definitely leads at the plate and she’s a power hitter,” Gleason said. “She just competes, too, and she just takes every at bat, you know, as it comes. She plays great defense, she plays back and forth.”
Junior pitcher Lily Cassell (7-7-1) made her first save of the season in the circle. She threw 2 strikeouts and walked two batters. She let six hits and four runs go, including a home run in the first inning.
UP NEXT
The Huskies stay on the road to take on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
