The Northern Illinois University softball team won the second game of its doubleheader with Toledo, 8-6, in 10 innings after falling to the Rockets 3-2 in the first contest at Scott Park on Friday afternoon.
A two-run single by freshman Alex Wulbecker in the top of the 10th proved to be the difference in Game Two for NIU (17-23, 6-4). Per conference rules, the last batter of the previous inning, Dani Parrish , was placed on second base to start the inning. Jennifer Barnett reached on an error by the Toledo (8-27, 2-6) third baseman putting runners on the corners with nobody out.
Allie Parker, who came in to pinch run for Barnett, stole second to put two Huskies into scoring position. However, back-to-back NIU strikeouts put Wulbecker in position to put Northern Illinois in front. Her bloop hit to short left allowed Parrish and Parker to score the winning runs.
Northern Illinois jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the Rockets battled back with two runs in the second and tying the game, 3-3, with a run in the fifth. Another three spot by NIU in the top of the seventh gave the Huskies a 6-3 lead. Unfortunately, Toledo responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to send the game into extra innings.
Sophomore Morgan Bittner, who started the seventh inning in relief of starter Monica Segura, took home the victory allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits in four innings of work.
“It was nice to get a win,” NIU coach Lindsay Chouinard said. “We need to improve in all facets of the game to be successful against Bowling Green this weekend.”
Bittner took the loss in Game One, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings of work, with all the damage coming in the first inning. Solo home runs by Barnett in the second and a lead-off homer by Andrea Colosimo in the fourth was all the offense the Huskies would receive in the first game which was delayed two hours due to rain.
