The NIU softball team has been relatively quiet at the plate in recent games, but on Tuesday afternoon the pitching made up for it.

Senior Courtney Witvliet pitched a complete game in the first of a double-header against Miami of Ohio. The right-hander dominated the opposing hitters, striking out 11 and allowing no walks.

“I think my inside curve was really working well today,” Witvliet said. “Plus, they were swinging at a lot of my bad pitches and got themselves out in some cases.”

The senior rode a no-hitter in the top of the seventh inning, but back-to-back doubles scored the game-winning run for Miami.

“I made a couple of mistakes in the seventh, and they got on top of the pitches,” Witvliet said.

In the second game, freshman Amy Krahula pitched seven solid innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out seven.

In the top of the eighth, Krahula ran into trouble loading the bases. NIU softball coach Donna Martin called on Witvliet to get the Huskies out of the jam.

“All I could think about was that Amy pitched a great game, and I wanted to get her out of this,” said Witvliet.

After giving up a hit to the first batter, Witvliet retired the next three batters to end the inning.

“Courtney pitched great for us tonight, but we just couldn’t get her the offense in the first game,” Martin said. “It’s funny, though — she picked up a win in the second.”