After taking home 10 wins in its first 13 games, NIU’s softball team has been in a funk.

The Huskies (7-5, 17-17) since have won seven of their last 21 games.

In eight of its 13 losses in that stretch, NIU has lost by one run and will look to pick up the offense against Kent State.

Defense has been the Huskies’ strength, tying Marshall for the MAC lead with a .968 fielding percentage.

At 2 p.m. today, NIU travels to Kent State to play the first game of a doubleheader. While the Huskies have dropped to fourth in the MAC West, KSU (12-4, 24-11) finds itself in second place in the MAC East.

One bright spot for the Huskies has been this week’s MAC West Pitcher of the Week, Kathy Dearborn.

“Kathy is just getting better as the year goes on,” NIU coach Donna Martin said.

Dearborn is hitting her stride at the right time according to Martin. She was struggling early in the year with changing speeds on her pitches and finding her groove at the plate.

Dearborn tore through the MAC last week, starting with Eastern Michigan where she pitched a five-inning, one-hit shutout. Dearborn finished the week with a 2-1 record and a .074 ERA.

The second-year hurler has pitched 100 innings this year and struck out 64 batters while walking 39. Dearborn is 7-8 with a 2.80 ERA and has allowed 11 doubles, good for second in the MAC.

On March 3, Dearborn took home MAC West Player of the Week. She leads NIU with a .312 batting average, 11 doubles and four home runs.

“The fact that Kathy can hit and pitch is a great plus for us,” Martin said. “She gives us a lot more flexibility in our lineup and is a tremendous lift for our team.”