NIU softball takes 3 of last 4 games of its season

By ANDREA BRADLEY

It’s a wrap.

The NIU softball team finished its 2009 regular season with a four-game road trip over the weekend. The Huskies earned a split with Kent State Friday, and took both games in a two-game series with Buffalo Saturday and Sunday.

The Huskies opened their last road swing of the season with a double-header against the Golden Flashes in Kent, Ohio. KSU was able to take the first game with a 3-0 victory on only three hits. But, NIU was able to turn the tides, reversing the scoreboard for their own 3-0 win in game two.

In the second game, senior Katie Colby belted her first career home run while pinch hitting for Krista Matsui. The homer put the Huskies up 3-0 in the top of the fourth, where the Huskies would hang on for the victory.

“Katie did a great job coming off the bench,” said NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard. “She was swinging the bat early and often at some good pitches.”

After the double-header, NIU squared off with Buffalo for a two-game set. The Huskies took game one with a dominant 3-1 win, where freshman Morgan Bittner held the Bulls to only four hits. After nine innings, Buffalo’s only run was scored on a solo shot in the sixth.

Offensively, NIU scored three runs on five hits. Freshman Zoe Sinner combined for two of those hits, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the game. Michelle Williams also earned an RBI in one plate appearance, and Colby kept her bat hot, going 1-for-3 with an RBI.

“We had a lot of clutch performances at the plate today with runners in scoring position, which is exactly what we’re asking the offense to do,” Chouinard said.

Game two also went to the Huskies as the team pulled away with a 6-2 victory against the Bulls. NIU’s bats were strong as both Colby and freshman Carly Norton knocked the ball out of the park for home runs. Colby added her fourth RBI of the weekend, and Norton finished the day going 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs.