Softball had a bit of a rough weekend, going 1-3 in two series against the Buffalo Bulls (13-37, 5-15 MAC) and the Kent State Golden Flashes (39-11, 17-4 MAC).

The Huskies began with a 7-0 defeat of Buffalo before losing game two, 5-4. They were swept by Kent State, losing game one, 11-5, and game two, 3-1.

The weekend gave the Huskies a finish to the season of 28-23 overall, going 11-9 in the MAC. The feat marks their best finish to a season since 2003, when they went 23-21-1.

“I think we’re fine,” said head coach Christina Sutcliffe. “We know that it’s anyone’s season.”

Buffalo game one

What happened

In the top of the second, the Huskies got the action flying with four runs on four hits, highlighted by a record-breaking home run from sophomore first baseman Kayti Grable. With the home run, Grable put herself ahead of the pack for No. 1 on the Huskies’ single-season home run record. In the top of the sixth, NIU put the icing on the cake with a two-run inning that gave them a 6-0 lead and the eventual 7-0 win.

In the circle

Freshman pitcher Keegan Hayes picked up her 15th win of the season in the win, pitching yet another complete game and giving up only three hits in the shutout.

At the plate

Grable went 1-2 on the day with her single hit being her 12th home run of the season, a new NIU record.

Buffalo game two

What happened

NIU kicked the game off with a blast, scoring four runs on three hits to start the game. Following the burst, the Bulls were able to slightly bounce back with a good first inning also, scoring two runs and bringing the score to 4-2. In the bottom of the fifth, Buffalo scored two more, tying the game with two innings remaining. With the game being tied heading into the bottom of the 8th, the Bulls won the game on a walk-off home run by senior infielder Hayley Barrow.

In the circle

Freshman pitcher Tara Thacker took the loss for the Huskies, pitching three innings and giving up one run.

At the plate

Designated player Jessica Sturm went 1-2 on the day, driving in two of the Huskies’ four runs.

Kent State game one

What happened

The first two and a half innings of the game were quiet with both teams going scoreless before Kent State broke the ice in the bottom of third, scoring three runs on a home run by sophomore infielder Maddy Grimm. In the top of the fourth, the Huskies bounced back with a home run of their own from junior catcher Emily Naegele, but remained behind 3-1. Kent State clapped back with a two-run homer from catcher Erika Warren, pushing the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Eagles exploded for a big inning, scoring six runs on three hits and putting the game out of reach in a contest that hit a final score of 11-5.

In the circle

Hayes took the loss for NIU, giving up three runs in only 2.1 innings of work.

At the plate

Grable went deep yet again for the Huskies, hitting her 13th of the season and extending her historic home run record even further.

Kent State game two

What happened

In the bottom of the third, Kent State was able to put up all three of its runs of the game, connecting on two home runs and taking a 3-0 lead. In the top of the fourth, Grable, again, went deep for the Huskies, scoring their lone run of the game with a final score of 3-1 in Kent State’s favor.

In the circle

Sturm took her 11th loss of the season, giving up three runs on four hits on the day.

At the plate

Grable ended the regular season with a blast, hitting another home run, giving her 14 on the year and placing herself even higher in the history books. The home run also gave the Huskies the most home runs in a season in team history at 35.

“I think that definitely was a surprise for us,” Sutcliffe said. “I don’t know if we knew we were going to have that much offense.”