The softball team won two of its five games Friday through Sunday in the Southern Illinois University tournament in Carbondale, Illinois.

“We’re not winning as much as we’d like, but we’re definitely getting better,” said Head Coach Christiana Sutcliffe.

Friday morning – Fighting Illini 10, Huskies 2

NIU opened the tournament with a 10-2 loss against University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Illinois scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning off an RBI single.

The Fighting Illini extended their lead to seven runs with a six-run eruption in the third. Illinois piled onto its lead with two additional runs in the top of the fourth inning.

The Huskies recorded their first runs of the contest in the bottom of the fifth after senior catcher Bekah Harnish hit a double and tallied two RBIs. Junior first basemen Abby Howlett and junior outfielder Jessica Rio scored the Huskies’ lone runs of the game.

Illinois scored the final run of the contest in the seventh inning and secured an eight-run victory.

Friday afternoon – Huskies 3, Racers 0

NIU won its first game of the tournament with a 3-0 victory against the Murray State University Racers. Senior pitcher Tara Thacker pitched the entire game and threw a four-run shutout. The game marked Thacker’s second complete game and second win of the season.

“Tara threw a really nice weekend,” Sutcliffe said. “She’s definitely getting in a groove and has kind of pulled away from the other pitchers currently.”

The contest started out as a defensive back-and-forth game, as neither team recorded a hit or run in the first four innings. Freshman third basemen Katie Wingerter scored the first run of the game off a Howlett RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning. Howlett scored later in the fifth inning, and NIU finished the inning with a two-run lead.

The Huskies extended their lead in the seventh inning. Junior first baseman Sam Schmidt hit a RBI single, and junior outfielder Jenner Van Geertry scored the run to give NIU a 3-0 lead. Thacker closed out the game with a strikeout to seal the Huskies’ third victory of the season.

Saturday afternoon – Salukis 8, Huskies 1

NIU opened the second day of the tournament with a 8-1 loss against the Southern Illinois University Salukis. The Salukis scored the first runs of the contest off a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning, and Southern Illinois finished the inning with a 3-0 lead.

The Salukis scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth and increased the Huskies deficit to five runs. NIU scored its lone run of the game in the top of the fifth when freshman outfielder Kira Mickleson hit an RBI single and Schmidt scored the run.

Southern Illinois increased their lead by three runs in the bottom of the sixth and claimed a seven-run victory

Saturday afternoon – Huskies 7, Racers 3

The Huskies bounced back with a 7-3 victory against the Racers. NIU struck first as senior shortstop Alaynie Woollard scored the first run of the game off a Schmidt RBI bunt single in the top of the second inning.

The Huskies extended their in the third after junior second baseman Dominique Greeno opened up the inning with a solo home run. Sophomore designated hitter Kayla Scaperrotta hit an RBI single and gave NIU a three-run lead.

“Dominque got the opportunity and made the most of it,” Sutcliffe said. “She played really well yesterday and proceeded to play well again today. That was really nice for her to give us a little spark, a much needed one.”

Murray State countered in the bottom of the third and scored two unearned runs. Greeno smashed a three-run home run in the top of the fourth and extended the Huskies’ lead to four runs. NIU scored its final run of the game in the top of the fifth when Wingerter RBI singled Van Geertry home.

NIU allowed the Racers to score one run in the seventh inning and defeated Murray State 7-3.

Sunday – Fighting Illini 2, Huskies 1

The Huskies concluded the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Illinois. The Fighting Illini scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first inning.

NIU scored their lone run of the contest in the top of the fourth as Greeno RBI singled Van Geertry home.

NIU didn’t score for the remainder of the game. They out-hit Illinois 9-5, but left nine players on base. Sutcliffe said it was nice to see the Huskies play well in all three phases of the game, offensive, defensive and pitching, despite the loss.

“On paper we definitely won that game.” Sutcliffe said. “Unfortunately, the paper isn’t what fully what counts. It was the first game all year I felt like we pitched well, we played good defense and we also had some offensive explosion.”

The Huskies will return to action in the Eastern Kentucky Tournament. Their first game of the tournament is against the Saint Louis University Billikens 9 a.m. Friday in Richmond, Kentucky.