Five hits and two runs were all Iowa was able to snag from NIU softball pitcher Kathy Dearborn on Wednesday.

Regardless, it still was enough to ruin Dearborn’s 10 1/3-inning effort that came to a halt when the Hawkeyes’ Kylie Murray smacked a walk-off home run to hand NIU its sixth consecutive loss, 2-0.

For the second game in a row, 11 Huskies batters struck out. Iowa’s Ali Arnold and Lisa Birocci combined to allow five hits and no walks and shut out NIU (10-24 overall) for the fifth time in six games.

“We just couldn’t get the hit to score the runners when they were in position,” NIU coach Donna Martin said.

The Huskies weren’t able to capitalize in the top of the 11th inning on a single by Dearborn, who eventually made it to third base after a passed ball with no outs. Groundouts by Kara Schuur and Kelly Redican and a foul out by Kelly Park ended the inning.

Dearborn was 1 for 4 in the game and had retired 15 of 16 hitters at one point.

“Dearborn was awesome,” Martin said. “She gutted out a few innings when she got into trouble and begged me not to come out.”

NIU’s extra-inning game against Iowa may have come as a surprise after the Huskies lost 9-0 to Northwestern on Tuesday. The Wildcats dropped two games to Iowa, 7-2 and 6-1, on April 2 and 3.

NIU now has seven hits in its last three games and has lost by three runs or less in five games of its six-game losing streak.

Once the Huskies get their bats going, and if they keep up their strong effort on the mound and play solid defense, Martin said the team will begin to move.

“That’s how it works,” she said. “The only thing better that could of come out of this game would be for us to win.”