DEKALB, Ill. – A five-run third by Miami proved too much for the Northern Illinois University softball team to overcome as its rally fell short as the RedHawks held on for a 7-6 win at Mary M. Bell Field in the series opener on Friday.
After falling behind 7-1 through the first two and a half inning, the Huskies (19-34, 13-24) began clawing back in the bottom of the third.
Katie Keller began the rally with a one out RBI double to right field to score Amberly Rodriguez from first. That double, her 21st of the season, tied the school record for doubles in a season. Keller advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout by Bianca Barone to pull the Huskies to within four, 7-3.
After Claire Norred, who came in to pitch in the top of the third kept the RedHawks off the board the next four and a third innings to give the Huskies a chance to come back.
"She shut them down and stopped their momentum," NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe said of Norred. "At one point you're worried about playing seven innings, the next thing you know we're chipping back and she's putting zeros on the board. We had some key double plays to get her out of trouble some of the times."
NIU pulled to within a run with a three spot in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI single by Courtney James began the rally. After Rodriguez reached on a fielder's choice, Keller made Huskie history when she delivered the first pitch that she saw to right field for her school record 22nd double this season.
"She's just patient at the plate and waits for her pitch," Sutcliffe said. "She's fine walking, and passing the bat. Anyone that can have that number of walks when they're not getting intentionally walked and still have the power numbers on top of that, that's a special player."
Barone singled to center to drive in Rodriguez and Keller scored to pull NIU to within a run, 7-6. The Huskies had a runner in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to drive in the tying or go ahead run.
"We were patient from the first pitch on, and making her [Briana Pratt] bring it up into the zone a little bit," Sutcliffe said of the Huskies' approach at the plate. "We're giving up two big of innings that are kind of hard to come back from. If we can figure that out, we should be able to cruise through the rest of the weekend. Obviously, they're a great team. To compete and still have the fight we had, I continue to say, it shows the tenacity of this team."
NIU continues its series with the RedHawks Saturday with a doubleheader against Miami. First pitch for game one starts at 1 p.m., and the second game to follow. Fans can watch all the action on NIUTube or follow via live stats on NIUHuskies.com. Be sure to check NIUHuskies.com or @NIUSoftball on Twitter for any schedule changes.
-NIU-
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May 15, 2021 at 08:17AM
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Huskie Rally Falls Short - Northern Illinois University Athletics
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