April 20, 2008

Final Stats in PDF Format

TOLEDO, Ohio - A day after being held to a pair of hits, the Northern Illinois softball team brought out the bats at Scott Park on Sunday afternoon, scoring a season-high eight runs to beat Toledo, 8-4, on 11 hits with three home runs.

NIU (11-23, 5-7) sophomore Allie Parker (Evergreen, Ill./Marist) led the way with a career-best 3-for-3 performance with two home runs and an RBI single for a total of five RBI to help set the pace for the Huskie offense.

"Allie Parker did a great job driving in runs today," said NIU head coach Lindsay Chouinard. "She was really clutch today. It was good to get a win."

The Huskies jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after getting three runs in the first inning of Rocket (14-21, 4-10) starter Hannah Rockhold, two of which came from senior Michelle Nendza's (Palos Park, Ill./Lemont Mt. Assisi) home run, setting a new career high with her ninth blast this season. The Huskies pushed the third run across on an RBI single from junior Bailey Ouellette (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) that scored freshman Andrea Colosimo (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), who walked and stole second base.

Freshman Joreigh Landers (Vernonia, Ore./Vernonia) continued to impress by extending her scoreless inning streak to 13 innings before allowing a run in the third frame on a Lacey Levier RBI double, cutting the NIU lead, 3-1.

The Huskies got the run back for Landers in the next inning with Parker's first career home run, giving NIU a three-run cushion once again, 4-1.

Parker blew the game wide open in the fifth with her second homer of the game, this time a three-run shot, to give the Huskies a 7-1 advantage as she is the first Huskie to hit two homers in one game since 2005.

The Rockets did not go quietly as they plated three runs on four hits in the sixth to cut the NIU advantage, 7-4, forcing senior Taryn Hagemann (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle) to come in for Landers.

Parker then capped her day with an RBI single in the seventh to pad the NIU lead, 8-4.

Landers (4-4) earned the win to even her record on the year by pitching 5.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Hagemann finished the final 1.2 innings, allowing an earned run on three hits with three strikeouts.

Rockhold (6-9) was stuck with the loss for Toledo, throwing three innings and surrendering four earned runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Three NIU batters totaled multiple hits. Parker had three, while juniors Katie Colby (Waukesha, Wis./West) and Jenna Roberts (Verona, Wis./West) each had a pair of hits. Seniors Krista McPherson (Beecher, Ill./Beecher), Nendza and Jenna Mitchell (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) each had hits. Juniors Ouellette and Dani Thompson (Canyon Country, Calif./Canyon) and Colosimo also had a hit a piece.

The Huskies return to the diamond on Friday, April 25 at 12 p.m. CDT to take on the Ohio Bobcats (18-18, 5-8) in Athens, Ohio at Ohio Softball Field.

-NIU-