Softball (13-25, 3-7 MAC) played the role of comeback kid as it managed to split four games over the weekend against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan (10-25-1, 1-9 MAC).

The Huskies played the Chippewas (21-12, 7-2 MAC) in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon, dropping both games.

The first game was highlighted by a comeback attempt from the Huskies, as they entered the seventh down 7-1. The Huskies were able to score five runs and have the tying run on base, with a runner on second and freshman pinch-hitter Murielle Vansach at bat. Vansach took five pitches in a row without swinging the bat. She took the sixth pitch for a strike, which ended the hopes of a comeback.

The second game of the day was highlighted by the long ball, as nine of the 10 runs scored in the game were on home runs.

In a back-and-forth affair, junior Ashley Kopp began the scoring for NIU with a solo home run to tie the game at one in the bottom of the third.

Junior catcher Erika Oswald homered in the bottom of the fifth to put NIU up 2-1, but Central responded with a long ball from Katelyn Rentschler in the top of the sixth. That was also answered with a lead-off homer from senior shortstop Amanda Sheppard. The Chippewas hit three homers, two two-run shots and a solo to put up a five-run seventh inning to seal the game and the sweep.

“Both games were tough losses,” said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe in a news release. “We came into today needing to pick up win. We didn’t. Tomorrow, we’ll show how much fight we really have in us. Our offense is doing great. We’re getting some huge hits out of people. We’re doing everything right. We’re just not coming out with a win.”

The next two days showed better fortunes for NIU, as it came back from behind to take two from Eastern Michigan.

The Huskies utilized a four-run sixth inning to win the first game 6-3 over the Eagles, led by Oswald and junior Shelby Miller. Oswald singled with the bases loaded and two outs to make it a 4-3 game, and Miller drove in two on a single to mark the final score of 6-3.

In the second game, the Huskies had to overcome a sixth run third by the Eagles. Both teams showed some poor defense on the afternoon, as they combined to commit five errors. NIU led the scoring off with a run in the bottom of the first, which Eastern matched in the top of the second. The Eagles put up six runs in the third inning, knocking starter Emily Norton from the game, with the big hit coming from Aoife Duffy in a three-run homer.

The Huskies scored in the next five innings, plating a single run in the bottom of the third and fourth, plating a pair in the fifth and sixth, and etching the final tally in the bottom of the seventh.

The comeback was made possible by the strong pitching of sophomore Jessica Sturm in relief of Norton and the patience of NIU hitters. Sutcliffe believes her team is always in the game when it comes to late inning affairs, and the team made up for sloppy play that helped the Eagles score six runs.

“After we had that bad inning I told them, ‘If we’re going to play that type of defense we better have good enough offense to make up for it,’ and they did,” Sutcliffe said. “After that inning we knew we just had to chip away. You can’t get six runs with one swing and that’s kind of been our motto. If we have a chance in the seventh inning we know we have a chance to win.”

Eastern Michigan head coach Karen Baird gave a lot of credit to NIU’s determination and its hitters.

“I think both games were very well played,” Baird said. “Two teams fighting to get things started again.”

The final tally was of the walk-off variety, as Miller blasted a solo shot to send the Eagles home winless and get the Huskies to 3-7 in the MAC. The home run was the cherry on top of a teamwide effort to come back from a big hole which Miller believes is at the center of the team.

“Amazing,” Miller said. “I’ve been in quite a big slump lately, so it feels good for that to be something that I come back from…. It’s awesome. That’s just what we do at NIU. It’s just part of who we are as a softball team. We’re not giving any games, no one gives us a good break or anything. We’re used to coming from behind. We’re used to have to scratch and claw for every run we get.”