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April 6, 2008
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Northern Illinois softball team dropped a 5-3 decision to Western Michigan (11-8, 3-1) on Sunday afternoon in eight innings. The Huskies (5-17, 0-4) took the lead in the sixth inning only to give it back in the bottom half of the frame and then couldn't push any runs across the plate before the Broncos won the game on a two-run walk-off homer by Lexi Jager in the eighth. "It was a good game," said NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard. "It was hard fought. We came back and showed that we had some fight in us. We are right there and hopefully we will see something happen next week." WMU jumped out to a 2-0 lead after scoring a run in each of the first two innings, but the Huskies came back with a two-run home run from senior Michelle Nendza (Palos Park, Ill./Lemont Mt. Assisi) that tied the game, 2-2, in the fourth. Nendza also tied her 2006 career-high total of seven homers with her fourth inning blast. In the top of the sixth, a lead-off triple by NIU senior Krista McPherson (Beecher, Ill./Beecher) led to a run after junior Jenna Roberts (Verona, Wis./West) reached on a fielder's choice to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead. The Broncos countered by adding a run in their half of the sixth after a wild pitch by Huskie sophomore Kate Greenough (Portland, Ore./David Douglas) allowed Mandi Sayres to score from third base, tying the game, 3-3. Both teams were held scoreless in the seventh inning before Jager's walk-off home run ended the game for the Broncos, 5-3, giving Kyla Sullivan (7-4) the win after she pitched all eight innings while allowing three earned runs on three hits with three walks and ten strike outs. Freshman Joreigh Landers (Vernonia, Ore./Vernonia) started the game on the mound for the Huskies, giving up two earned runs on four hits in two innings of work with a walk and a strike out. Greenough (3-9) finished the final 5.2 innings for the Huskies, allowing an earned run on four hits with five walks and two strike outs. Nendza, McPherson and junior Bailey Ouellette (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) each had one hit in three at-bats for the Huskie offense. Nendza also had two runs batted in and Roberts drove in the other NIU run. The Huskies return to action on Tuesday, April 8 at 3 p.m. to take on Loyola University Chicago (10-15, 5-3) in a doubleheader in Chicago, Ill. -NIU-
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