It didn’t take NIU hitters long to recover from a long winter off-season.

But the bats weren’t enough to salvage a win in any of the three games the Huskies played at Texas Tech University over the weekend.

The Red Raiders (4-0) handed the Huskies three losses, outscoring them 43-21 in the three games.

Seven proved to be NIU’s unlucky number, as the Huskies fell 13-7, 17-7 and 12-7.

Even with the high run count, NIU coach Ed Mathey was happy with what he saw, including his pitchers’ performances.

“If you look at each game, Tech did their damage when our guys were beginning to wear down,” he said. “Our stamina won’t be at midseason form right now as far as pitch count is concerned. But it will continue to improve throughout the year. I thought starting pitching was a positive during this series.”

The Huskies offense was led by Mike Santoro’s bat, which produced three two-run home runs and six extra-base hits for the series.

Santoro sat out last season due to a stress fracture in his foot.

“Mike had a great weekend,” NIU coach Ed Mathey said. “He actually just missed a fourth home run by about five feet. It’s great to see him perform this well. His hard work to get back on the field is paying off.”

NIU’s next game is at 2 p.m. on March 1 against North Park University at Ralph McKenzie Field.