Playing in its third-straight extra inning game in two days the Northern Illinois University softball team posted a 3-2 10-inning victory over Miami Saturday afternoon at Mary M. Bell Field.
Just a day after losing back-to-back extra inning affairs to Ball State, the Huskies (20-31, 9-8) were able to breakthrough for the win in dramatic fashion against the RedHawks. With the game tied 2-2 and runners at second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the 10th, Carly Norton laid down a perfect bunt to score Adriana Sanchez, who was placed on second to start the inning per conference rules and advanced to third on a lead-off base hit by Michelle Williams, on the suicide squeeze for the game-winning run.
“We keep showing we’re resilient and we have fighting spirit,” NIU coach Lindsay Chouinard said. “It’s speaking to the change in the level of play. Last year, we lost both games to Ball State and got beat pretty handily by Miami last year at this time. We’re getting there slowly but surely.”
Miami (25-21, 10-7) opened the scoring with a run in the third and another in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead. The RedHawks starting pitcher, Meredith Linch was dealing, throwing a perfect game through the first three frames. Dani Parrish broke it up in a big way with a solo homer to center field in the fourth.
The Huskies tied the game in the bottom of the seventh when Zoe Sinner led off the inning with a double to right center. Kate Welsh, who came into pinch run for Sinner, advanced to third on a groundout by Andrea Colosimo. A double by Sanchez scored Welsh from third for the tying run.
While Saturday’s victory went a long way in the Huskies Mid-American Conference tournament, Chouinard knows there is still more softball yet to be played.
“We still need more wins in my opinion,” she said. “I don’t want to leave it up to chance. I don’t want to rely on other people to beat certain teams to get it done. As we’ve shown this weekend and today, we’re more than capable of coming out and playing great ball and getting big wins.”
Northern Illinois University wraps up its series with Miami Sunday.
