In its four game homestand against Buffalo and Kent State over the weekend, NIU softball won two out of four.

The Huskies (18-23, 6-6 MAC) lost both of their games against the Bulls Friday in a double-header, 7-3 and 8-3.

In the first game, Buffalo scored five runs while capitalizing on two NIU errors. In game two, the Bulls jumped on the Huskies in the fourth inning again, as they scored four runs on five hits.

The Huskies left nine base runners stranded in the game. In the first and second inning, NIU left the bases loaded.

“We honestly just didn’t play well on Friday,” said NIU coach Lindsay Chouinard. “That comes from focus. We’ve talked a lot about being mentally prepared and they didn’t come ready to play.”

NIU came back Saturday and Sunday and won both of its games against the Golden Flashes, 7-3 and 9-4.

In game one, Kent State took advantage of two costly errors by NIU in the third inning to take the lead 3-0.

The Huskies would answer right back with four runs of their own on four hits. NIU added three more runs in the fifth inning to increase their lead to 7-3.

In game two, Nicole Gremillion got the Huskies going in the second inning with a three-run home run giving the Huskies an early 3-0 lead.

NIU added more runs in the third inning when Jessica Sturm singled to right field driving in Jennifer Barnett from third and Amanda Sheppard from second, making its lead, 5-0.

In the fourth inning with Gremillion on second, Dani Parrish hit a home run over the right field fence, driving in Gremillion, to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead.

The Golden Flashes got back in the game with a big fifth inning, where they scored four runs on five hits. The biggest hit came when the bases were loaded and Mary Holt singled to right field driving in two runs.

Barnett added insurance for the Huskies in the sixth inning when she singled up the middle, driving in Bryanna Phelan from third base and Stephanie Tofft from second base, making the score 9-4.