The Northern Illinois University softball team battled, but came up short in an extra inning affair with DePaul, falling 4-2, in nine innings at Mary M. Bell Field on Tuesday afternoon.
“It was a great game all around,” NIU coach Lindsay Chouinard said. “The pitchers came to throw today and the defense came to play. That’s what we’ve been pressing to them the last four weeks, defense wins championships.
“That’s the reason we were in that game is because they made the plays when they needed to make the plays.”
NIU (12-21, 2-2) played flawless defense and answered every DePaul score through seven innings. Left fielder Amanda Sheppard set the tone for the Huskie defense in the second inning when she threw out Bittney Yniguez who was trying to score from second base with two outs to keep the game scoreless. With the score 1-0 DePaul in the top of the third and runners on second and third with two outs, third baseman Adriana Sanchez snared a line drive saving two more runs.
Sanchez came up in the bottom of the inning and belted a solo home run over the left field wall to tie the game 1-1. After DePaul (18-12) took a 2-1 lead on a Samantha Dodd homer to right in the top of the fifth, Sanchez tied the game again when she hit a one-out home run, this time over the center field fence.
Neither team was able to gain the advantage in the next two innings, sending the game into extra innings. Both teams went down in order in the eighth. With two on and one out in the top of the ninth, pinch hitter Marie Thompson doubled to left field, clearing the bases and giving the Blue Demons a 4-2 lead.
Northern Illinois had its chances in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with one out. Unfortunately for NIU, the next two Huskie batters were unable to drive in the tying or winning runs and the inning and the game came to an end.
Sanchez accounted for much of the Huskie finishing the day with a 3-for-4 performance from the plate with two RBis and two runs scored.
Sophomore Morgan Bittner, who came into pitch for starter Monica Segura in the fourth inning, took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in six innings of work. Segura allowed one run on three hits in three innings.
Northern Illinois University travels to Ohio this weekend for a doubleheader with Akron on Friday and a weekend set with Ohio. First pitch for the Huskies and Zips is set for noon with the second game to follow.
