The softball team went 2-3 in the Houston Challenge hosted by the University of Houston. The Huskies moved to 8-7 on the 2019 season.

Friday morning – Kennesaw State 12, NIU 8

NIU allowed the Owls to take a big lead in its first game of the day when Kennesaw State put up five runs in the top of the third inning. The Huskies responded by scoring three in the bottom of the third.

Senior outfielder Jenny Van Geertry knocked an RBI single to bring in senior outfielder Katie Lamich for NIU’s first run of the game.

Junior infielder Anne Allen and first-year outfielder Amberly Rodriguez scored off a senior infielder Dominique Greeno 2-RBI single to bring the Huskies’ deficit down to 5-3.

Allen hit a 2-RBI single to tie the game at five in the fourth inning. Lamich and first-year outfielder Katie Keller scored the two runs on the hit. Later in the inning, Van Geertry smacked a three-run home run to left field, giving the Huskies their first lead of the game at 8-5.

The Owls combined for seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings, holding NIU scoreless in the final three innings to take a 12-8 victory.

“Today we struggled to get off the field by not making a pitch or play when it counted,” Head Coach Christna Sutcliffe said to NIU Athletics. “Tomorrow is a new day, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to get better.”

Friday afternoon – Houston 8, NIU 0

The Cougars shut the Huskies out in their 8-0 victory. Houston scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the second off an RBI single. The Cougars exploded, scoring six runs in the bottom of the third, all coming after a Van Geertry one-out error.

The Huskies committed three errors in the game, and four of Houston’s eight runs were unearned. The Cougars won the game by the run-ahead rule in the bottom of the fifth after a sacrifice fly brought in their final run of the afternoon.

NIU will return to action with a double-header against Incarnate Word at 1 p.m. Saturday in Houston before facing off again against the Cougars at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday game one – NIU 1, Incarnate Word 0

NIU won its first game of the weekend against Incarnate Word.  Sophomore catcher Kira Mickelson knocked an RBI single with two outs in the top of the forth inning to bringing in Van Geertry for the lone run of the game. This would be all the scoring the Huskies needed for the victory.

Senior pitcher Alex Frenz threw a complete game shutout, striking out six batters and only allowing four hits.

Saturday game two – Houston 8, NIU 0

Houston held NIU’s offense in check in the second match-up between the teams. The Huskies didn’t score a run or tally a hit in their final Saturday game.

The Cougars combined for two runs in the third and fourth innings. Houston scored six in the bottom of the fifth to defeat NIU by the run-ahead rule for the second time over the weekend series.

“We just couldn’t get our offense going today,” Sutcliffe said. “[Frenz] had a great complete game shutout and [Mickelson] came through clutch.”

Sunday – NIU 3, Incarnate Word 0

The Huskies closed out the Houston Challenge with a 3-0 victory over Incarnate Word.

NIU opened the scoring when Rodriguez came home after Greeno reached first base on a fielder’s choice. Rodriguez hit an RBI single to bring Keller in, giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second.

Senior pitcher Mackenzie Bryan held the Cardinals to two hits for the game.

“[Bryan] finished out the weekend strong,” Sutcliffe said. “We did a better job of staying patient at the plate with Keller coming through with a great offensive day.”

Keller hit an RBI double in the sixth inning to bring in Greeno for the final run of the game. She went 3-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

The Huskies will return to action against Idaho State University 3:30 p.m. March 8 in the Husky Classic hosted by the University of Washington.