The softball team needs to close out games stronger if it wants to qualify for the Mid-American Conference tournament.

The Huskies are in danger of missing the MAC tournament for the first time since 2012. They’re going to finish with their worst winning percentage at .396 since Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe took over the program six seasons ago, regardless of how the remainder of the season ends.

NIU only needs to win one of its three remaining conference games to qualify for the tournament. They’ve been resilient and have consistently battled despite their poor start to the season.

“We’ve been through some rough situations, losing games by one run,” said senior infielder Alaynie Woollard. “We haven’t let that beat us down too much. We keep battling and know we’re going to make it count in the tournament.”

The one-run losses have been a major thorn in the softball team’s side. The team has a 2-4 record in games that are determined by one run or less in conference play and a 3-8 record overall in said contests.

The Huskies’ tight losses are a result of them struggling to finish games strong. Their opponents have outscored them 49-32 in the last two innings of regulated play and 3-1 in extra innings.

Its shortcomings late in games has resulted in NIU having a 1-8 record when the game is tied in the fifth or sixth inning.

“We just need to stay focused throughout the last couple innings,” said junior pitcher Alex Frenz. “It’s a long game, so we just need to maintain our focus throughout the whole game.”

Sutcliffe said she believes it’s tough to play games with a one run lead because of the mental pressure to not make a mistake. Woollard agreed with Sutcliffe and said the team needs to relax in close games.

“I think one the big things late in the game is we start putting too much pressure on ourselves,” Woollard said. “Just relaxing and trusting our training is huge. We need to bear down and make the plays to get off the field.”

The Huskie’s struggles on the offensive end late in games is apparent. They score .7 runs per inning through the first five innings, but only .5 runs per inning in the sixth inning.

Sutcliffe said the team needs to adjust its approach in high pressure situations.

“Don’t try to do too much,” Sutcliffe said. “As it gets later in the game we start chasing pitches we didn’t earlier on, and we try to press because we try to do it all with one swing. It takes nine of us to win a game; pass the bat, get on and let the next kid go to work with it.”

Sophomore outfielder Kayla Scaperrotta said the team’s season is going to reflect the brewing stage of a coffee bean after the team’s seven game road trip in Kentucky, according to a March 22 Northern Star article.

The Huskies knew they could finish the season strong after their visit with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in March. Their mentality hasn’t wavered and they plan to lock-in to accomplish what they set for themselves.

“We just need to take it step by step,” Woollard said. “We need to trust ourselves and the people besides us on the field.”