It will usually lead to a win when the offense walks 10 times and scores nine runs.

Despite the offensive success and patience shown by the Huskies (13-26, 3-7 MAC), they could not overcome an even hotter-hitting Northwestern (22-16) squad.

“If you had told me on the bus before this game that if we scored nine runs, I would’ve told you we’d win this game,” said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe in a news release.

NIU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, and the game had the looks of a pitching duel with just one run scored in the first four-and-a-half innings. The Wildcats opened the proverbial floodgates as they pounded out four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The four-run fourth was highlighted by a two-run homer from first baseman Amy Letourneau.

The Huskies came right back in the top of the fifth and scored six runs, retaking the lead, and were paced by two RBI doubles.

“Honestly, [in positions] 1-9 we had a couple kids get opportunities today and they performed, they got on,” Sutcliffe said in a news release. “It just shows how our depth has come through and our bench is being productive.”

Despite the six runs scored, Northwestern came back once more to score seven in the bottom of the fifth to effectively seal the game. The Wildcats’ inning started with an error by sophomore pitcher Jessica Sturm, which was escalated by a walk and then a hit batter. With the bases loaded and no outs, the Wildcats converted a sacrifice fly and then promptly emptied their bases with an Andrea DiPrima three-run blast.

Northwestern scored three more runs before NIU finally got out of the inning.

The Huskies bid for one more comeback attempt in the top of the sixth, but could only manage two runs on a two-run double. The Huskies were shut down by reliever Letourneau, who came in to earn the save after having done damage earlier with a two-run homer. Letourneau recorded five outs to save the game, and got all of those outs via the strikeout.

NIU was led offensively by junior Shelby Miller who went 2-3 with four RBI’s. Junior Ashley Kopp added to her team-leading home run total with a solo shot, boosting her overall number to six on the year.

“I’m glad [Miller] carried her performance against Eastern Michigan into today,” Sutcliffe said in a news release. “Hopefully she’ll continue to build her confidence. She put in the work. It’s nice to see it pay off. She’s going to keep fighting no matter what.

NIU will look to split its midweek games as it hosts the UIC Flames at 5 p.m. today. The Flames’ 15-20 are led by trio Kara Komp, Natalie Hernandez and Melissa Preish. Komp leads the team with a .400 batting average and has four RBI’s on 46 hits with an on-base percentage of .439. Hernandez and Preish are both big threats offensively for UIC. Hernandez has 20 RBI’s with a batting average of .386 and Preish has 19 RBI’s and on base percentage of .533.