Extra innings were be needed in the fourth meeting this season between the Northern Illinois University Huskies softball team (21-28) and the Central Michigan University Chippewas (26-24) as the two met at the 2025 Mid-American Conference tournament. The Huskies took the lead in the second inning in the back-and-forth battle before winning the game in the eighth inning, 6-5.

This was the Huskies fourth extra-inning game this season. NIU has a record of 3-1 in extra inning games this year, with the last extra inning victory coming on April 16 against Bradley.

Alana Powell (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) and Lia Nance (Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside) led the Huskies with two hits each in the game. Powell went 2-for-4 at the plate while Nance was 2-for-3 at the plate.

“From Sunday until today, they’ve just been calm and confident. They are just enjoying getting to spend every day together,” said NIU head coach Kathryn Gleason. “It was a huge back and forth battle. Central Michigan is a great team, and we were so confident against their pitchers. As we go into tomorrow, we need to keep the same fight and energy. I’m so proud of them.”

Lily Cassell (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone) had a hand in all three outs for the Huskies in the bottom of the first, recording a groundout and pair of strikeouts while stranding two Chippewas. Cassell pitched all eight innings for the Huskies, recording five strikeouts and six walks in the contest.

Katy Ramage (Germantown Hills, Ill./Metamora Township) was the first Huskie to reach base, drawing a walk from Central Michigan’s Mackenzie Langan. After a sacrifice bunt from Rylie Hartman (Kankakee, Ill./Herscher) moved Ramage to second base, Powell marked RBI double to right field for her first hit of the game, sending Ramage across for the first run of the game. Kacie Quick (Bloomington, Ill./Normal West) drew a walk, putting a second Huskie on the bases with two outs in the inning. Nance had the final hit of the inning, a single to center field as Powell got called out at the plate.

Central Michigan took the lead during the bottom of the first on a 2 RBI single to right field.

Madison Mathews (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) had the first hit of the third inning, a single to right field. Ramage hit a double to deep left field to send Mathews across the plate to tie the game at two.

Central Michigan added one run on one hit in the third to take a 3-2 lead over the Huskies.

Powell led off the fourth inning with a solo home run to center field to tie the game at three before Natalie Miller (Fredonia, Wis./Ozaukee) hit a single to center field to reach base. Brianna Pechman (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago Community) pinch ran for Miller and scored on Jaylyn Brister’s (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) first career home run to put the Huskies up 5-3.

The Huskies defense collected two quick outs in the bottom of the fourth with one runner on base from the Chippewas before Cassell issued a walk. Central Michigan’s Jenna Kuzara hit 2 RBI double to left center field and saw Mathews tag her at third for the final out as the game was tied at five.

Central Michigan recorded one hit in the fifth inning before a Huskies double play got two outs at the hands of Jenna Turner (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) and Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East).

Nance led the Huskies off in the eighth and final inning to put NIU on the base path, with a single to shortstop. Turner followed Nance on the bases with a single to the pitcher as NIU put runners on. Mathews sent a sacrifice fly to right field to send Nance across the plate for the final run of the game.

Powell collected a popped ball to shortstop before the Chippewas reached base with a single. Quick handled business in the outfield, collecting a line-out for the second out of the inning. An unassisted groundout was handled by Stewart, beating the batter to first base for the third and final out of the game.

This afternoon (May 7) victory was the first by NIU at the MAC Tournament since May 9, 2019, when the Huskies defeated Western Michigan in five innings.

NIU will take on the second-seeded Bobcats of Ohio University tomorrow (May 8) at 1:30 p.m. CT at the MAC Tournament. More information on the 2025 tournament can be found at GetSomeMACtion.com. All games will be streamed live on ESPN+.