Before heading to the mountains for the Colorado State Classic in Fort Collins, Colo. over the weekend, NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard stressed the changing nature of the softball game, and the increasing importance of putting up runs often.

The team responded to the call, racking up 59 runs on its way to winning the tournament, going 4-1.

Suffering a 6-5 loss to Sacred Heart to start the tournament, NIU (7-8) rebounded to score in double digits in each of its next two games. The Huskies took on host Colorado State in the Friday afternoon meeting, scoring in each inning before the game was called in the fifth due to a 19-5 routing of the Rams (3-14).

The Huskies were led by the three and four hitters: freshman Stephanie Tofft and senior Zoe Sinner. Tofft was perfect from the left side of the plate, going 4-for-4 with six RBIs. Sinner collected a game-high eight RBIs off her own bat in a 3-for-3 effort.

“The offense was extremely dynamic this weekend,” Chouinard said. “[We were] really led by Steph Tofft. She batted almost .700 this weekend, was on base two times in every game and hit safely in every game. [She] really was the spark plug.”

Freshman Nicole Gremillion picked up the first win of her career from the mound, giving up five runs on three hits with five strikeouts.

Taking on Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon, the Huskies bucked the Broncos 13-5. The Broncos (3-5) put up four early, but the Huskies came back with two of their own, followed by five more in the second to take a 7-4 lead. Four of those runs came off the bat of Tofft, who homered in back-to-back innings.

“It was really nice to see her step up,” Sinner said. “We knew Steph had been hitting the ball really well in practice. She’s been a catalyst for our offense.”