Mid-American Conference teams have discovered that the NIU softball team can be beaten this spring. But they’ve also found that no lead against the Huskies is safe.

Lacking in consistency but not in effort, the Huskies put together a come-from-behind performance in the third game at Eastern Michigan this weekend, winning the series 2-1.

Trailing 3-0 through six innings in the third game, NIU (15-25 overall, 9-7 MAC West) rallied for four runs in the seventh inning. Catcher Samantha Knoll, center fielder Kelly Redican, left fielder Suzie Rizek and shortstop Shelby Bernard each tallied hits, while Knoll, Rizek and pinch runners Chrisy Johnson and Anne Hamilton scored in the decisive inning.

“We didn’t give up,” Knoll said. “We won the game basically in the seventh inning. It shows we have a lot of heart and never let down. It makes you feel good because you know the team can come back at any time and at any point in the game.”

Freshman hurler Amy Krahula, who pitched all but the last two at-bats, gave up 10 hits in the third contest, but the Huskie defense weathered the storm, holding the Eagles scoreless through the last three innings.

Coming off a stellar complete-game performance in the Huskies’ 2-1 win Friday, Courtney Witvliet may have been affected by fatigue in Saturday’s opener, as she gave up nine hits and five runs in pitching 4.2 innings. The Eagles (13-26, 6-10 MAC) pounded out 10 hits in that contest. But while NIU struggled defensively, the Huskies did have opportunities on the offensive end.

They had a chance to jump on top early with Knoll advancing to third and Redican getting to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gretchen Szymski in the first. But Eagles pitcher Aimee Hamilton (7-10) threw out Knoll at home to end the inning.

“We got some bad calls by umpires that kind of killed our momentum,” Knoll said. “And once we got people in scoring position, we never executed.”

In Friday ‘s contest, NIU didn’t come out with blazing bats but produced hits at the right times, holding on for a 2-1 triumph. Freshman first baseman Paige Shemoski batted in a Rizek run in the fourth, and Knoll scored Bernard in the fifth to give NIU all the runs it would need. Witvliet (9-8) threw a four-hitter, striking out six batters and walking one.

“We were very opportunistic offensively today,” NIU coach Donna Martin said Friday. “Courtney had a real gutty performance on the mound.”