One week in Florida rejuvenated the NIU softball team as the squad won six of its last eight games between two tournaments to improve its record to 9-9.

More importantly, the Huskies went the whole break without the services of senior ace pitcher Lindsey LaChiana.

A junior-transfer from Loyola-Chicago last season, LaChiana led NIU with 156 strikeouts, a 1.91 earned-run-average and 16-13 record from the mound last spring.

NIU coach Donna Martin said LaChiana missed the games over break because there was an illness in her family.

The Huskies began their 10-game stretch on March 9 in Clearwater, Fla., by losing their first two games of the University of South Florida-Adidas Invitational.

Texas Tech beat NIU 3-2 before the Huskies lost 1-0 to Villanova. Freshman Bailey Ouellette knocked in the Huskies’ only runs against TTU while sophomore Jenna Mitchell collected the team’s only hit against Villanova.

Ouellette, however, helped lead NIU to victory in its next three games. The Huskies beat Massachusetts 6-3, Jacksonville 2-1 and Purdue 3-2.

Ouellette, who hails from Beaverton, Ore., went 5-7 from the plate with an RBI and two walks over the three-game stretch. Starting every game this year, Ouellette leads NIU with a .318 batting average.

“I’ve just been going up to bat with a clear mind and confidence,” Ouellette said. “Coming from so far away, the team has made the transition here real easy, and I’ve avoided putting any unnecessary pressure on myself.”

NIU sophomore pitcher Taryn Hagemann earned her first two wins of the season in back-to-back games against Massachusetts and Jacksonville.

The MAC West Pitcher of the Week allowed six runs over 22 1-3 innings during the Invitational while pitching in five of NIU’s six games.

After finishing third in its pool, NIU lost its last game of the Invitational to Virginia Tech 6-3.

“We played well and got progressively better all three days,” Martin said. “Those first two games we just didn’t get the hits when we had people on base.”

Next, the Huskies headed to Tampa, Fla., for the USF-Mini Tournament.

On Tuesday, NIU won back-to-back game against Fordham, 4-0, and Buffalo, 9-0.

From the mound senior Paige Granath allowed six hits against Fordham while Hagemann pitched a no-hitter in NIU’s five-inning slaughter-rule win over Buffalo.

On Wednesday, Hagemann pitched a complete game, allowing six hits in NIU’s 3-1 win over Canisius before the Huskies lost their final game to USF 9-1.