Kathy Dearborn’s walk-off home run in the seventh inning saved the NIU softball team from blowing what was as much as a six-run lead Tuesday afternoon at Mary Bell Field against Valparaiso.

The Huskies (18-11) followed the 8-7 win with another victory in Game 2.

With a 7-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning in Game 1, NIU freshman softball pitcher Taryn Hagemann entered the game against Valparaiso (1-25). But the plan backfired as Hagemann gave up six runs before getting out of the inning.

“The plan is to have [Hagemann] help this team as the season progresses,” NIU head coach Donna Martin said. “They got three hits to fall that were bloopers, and Taryn got caught on one bad pitch with the wind blowing out. But she worked through it and got the last two outs.”

After narrowly escaping the first game, the second of the doubleheader didn’t add as much excitement, ending in an 8-0 slaughter rule. With the Huskies up by eight, the minimum runs needed for a game to be called, the umpire ended the game.

Dearborn finished the second game with one hit and a run scored. This season the senior has been pulling triple duty for NIU as a pitcher, hitter and fielder.

“I try to keep it pretty even as far as spending time at each position,” Dearborn said. “I’m used to playing multiple positions. I like to keep things different.”

However, fellow senior Toni Del Toro managed to blast as many round-trippers Tuesday as Dearborn has on the season. The first baseman leads NIU with five home runs this spring.

“Toni’s accepted her role on this team,” Martin said. “She’s a leader, and she’s scoring runs for us.”

But the Huskies won’t receive the same home-run friendly and windy weather conditions at 4 p.m. today against Iowa (28-8).

“We had a real good game against them last year,” Martin said. “But it might rain [today] so we’ll see.”

Last year the Huskies traveled to Iowa and took the Hawkeyes 11 innings deep. But it was Iowa sophomore Kylie Murray that hit a two-run homer to end it 2-0.

“We won’t change a whole lot in our approach,” said Dearborn, who Martin said will be starting on the mound against Iowa. “I’ll try to keep them honest and throw some off-speed stuff at them.”