A win over No. 18 Houston was the highlight of the NIU softball team’s weekend in the Marriott Houston Classic in Houston. The Huskies went 2-3 over the weekend.

Andrea Colosimo’s grand slam was the deciding factor in the Huskies’ upset win over Houston Saturday, putting NIU up 5-3.

The sophomore would come in and pitch the seventh inning to lock up the victory for Joreigh Landers who pitched six innings while giving up three runs, two earned, with three strikeouts.

Head coach Lindsay Chouinard was thrilled.

“Obviously, it’s a great game and a wonderful win,” Chouinard said. “We are very capable of competing on the national scene.”

The Huskies won their season opener against Prairie View A&M 6-3 on Friday. Freshman

Morgan Bittner picked up the win, throwing six innings while giving up three runs, two earned, while striking out nine.

At the plate, Bailey Ouellette went 2-4 with a solo home run.

The Huskies would not follow up the victory well, however, with a 14-2 loss to No. 19 Texas A&M later in the day.

The Huskies also lost to Illinois 3-1 on Saturday. Bittner picked up her first loss of the season, pitching five innings while giving up three runs with three strikeouts. The Huskies only managed one hit, which came from senior Jenna Roberts.

Any bad taste left after the loss to their in-state rival went away quickly as NIU rebounded nicely with the big win over Houston.

But the momentum from the Houston victory did not carry over to Sunday as the Huskies lost to McNeese State 2-1.

The Huskies will travel to Birmingham, Ala. Friday for the Magic City Classic. They will face Samford at 3:30 p.m.