Perhaps the warm Florida weather gave the NIU softball team the boost it needed.

Losing 11 of its first 12 contests, the Huskies suffered from cold performances at the plate and inconsistency on the mound. But the Huskies turned the heat up in those areas at the Clear Water Parks Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., last week, where NIU went 3-3. Freshmen pitchers Anne Hamilton and Amy Krahula earned their first collegiate victories, while senior slugger Suzie Rizek had a breakout game against Fordham University.

Krahula (2-1) posted an 8-0 shutout of Colgate, giving up just 2 hits and one walk March 15. She continued her success against Maine on Saturday, helping key a 4-1 Huskie victory. Hamilton gave up three hits and three runs in six innings to notch her first NCAA win against Fordham on March 16.

“This was a nice game for Anne,” NIU coach Donna Martin said Friday. “She showed a lot of courage out there today and she really battled hard. She is definitely improving and the better she and Amy get, the better we will be.”

Rizek drilled a 3-run homer against Fordham to give the Huskies (5-15) a commanding 5-0 lead, eventually winning 7-3.

“Suzie is starting to break out a little bit down here in Florida,” Martin said. “We need her bat to be explosive in our lineup. She’s a real threat and we are a lot better when she’s on.”

NIU dropped both of its openers Thursday and Friday, losing to nationally-ranked Texas A&M 9-1 and 3-2 to Alabama-Birmingham. But after each game, the Huskies bounced back. After the UAB loss, it took the Huskies just 5 innings to dispose of Colgate, as NIU tallied 10 hits in the 8-run victory.

“We finally played NIU softball today,” assistant coach Kevin Welch said. “We played great defense and we hit the ball better. The UAB loss was tough, but they are a good team.”

Samantha Knoll and Gretchen Symski (each had double and 2 RBI) were clutch today.”

It looked as if the Huskies would break their string of consecutive splits Saturday against Tennessee Tech. After defeating Maine in the opener, NIU dropped yet another heat-breaking loss, possibly the worst of the season. The Huskies built a 6-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but gave up five unearned runs. The Golden Eagles drilled a grand slam in the seventh to earn the 9-6 victory.