It may not have shown in Friday’s split against Akron, but the NIU softball team has been creeping toward peak form.

The defending Mid-American Conference champs found consistency on the mound and on defense, giving up two and three runs, respectively, against Akron. However, the Huskies (6-16 overall, 1-1 MAC West) continued a familiar trend, clicking in one key area but falling short in another. On Friday, NIU struggled with its hitting, managing four hits during a 3-1 setback to the Zips in Game 2.This afternoon, NIU hopes to get on track on the plate when it welcomes Miami (10-14, 2-1 MAC East) for a doubleheader at 2 p.m.

“We need to have some consistency throughout our game — throughout seven innings,” NIU coach Donna Martin said. “We’re getting there. We’re close, but we’re not quite there yet.”

In a contest against Tennessee Tech on March 17, the Huskies’ bats came to life, as NIU drilled nine hits. After grabbing a 6-0 lead though, outfield errors allowed Tennessee Tech to crawl back into the contest. In the opener of Friday’s double header, the Huskies’ received a stellar pitching performance from senior Courtney Witvliet (3-5, 2.45 ERA), who fanned eight batters while walking none. But NIU struggled on the plate, then tallied three crucial hits to take the contest in nine innings.

“I think we’ve demonstrated over the last two to three weeks that when our pitching staff starts to settle down, they become a lot more consistent,” Martin said. “We’ve had good hitting for two games and then we’ve gone on a dry spell. Then we had a string of five games without an error. We’re taking care of the ball pretty well on defense … so, if we can just get it all in sync all at once, then that’s what we want to build for the end of the season.”

The Huskies will need to have their hitting game on track when they face Miami’s twin aces, Amber and Abbey Arnold, today. The twins have almost identical stats, as Amber has notched 59 strikeouts in 82 innings, and Abbey has 60 strikeouts in 78 innings. Amber boasts a 2.04 earned-run average, while Abbey has posted a 2.77 ERA. The Redhawks won two of three games against Eastern Michigan last weekend.

“They have a set of twins that pitch, and they’re pretty comparable to each other,” Martin said. “So their pitching staff is very capable of winning games, so we’re going to have to do our best to adjust to what they have to offer.”