Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) went 2-for-2 at the plate as the Northern Illinois University Huskies softball team (7-18, 2-4 MAC) fell in a midweek contest against the Northwestern University Wildcats (15-11, 4-0 Big Ten) this afternoon. The Huskies dropped the contest 11-2 in five innings.

With a hit in the game, Madison Mathews (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) has now recorded 10 consecutive games with a hit.

“We were patient as we waited for our pitch and Madison and Dee Dee each stepped up to get those early runs,” noted NIU head coach Kathryn Gleason. “Midweeks are tough with the weekend and conference opponents. We are in the grind of the season. We want to play the teams in our state and play the best and it prepares us for later.  I think we played on our heels a bit with defense. Our focus is on getting better each game. We are in the grind of the season, and we’ll get back to work tomorrow as we prepare for Ohio this weekend.

Getting on the board early in the first, Jenna Turner (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) scored the first run of the game on a Mathews RBI double. Mathews doubled the Huskies lead as Stewart hit an RBI single to right field.

Northwestern took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three consecutive runs consecutively. The Wildcats hit a two-run home run as they took a 5-2 lead over the Huskies with no outs in the inning. Lia Nance (Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside) caught a pair of flyouts as the Huskies quickly ended the opening inning of play.

The Wildcats added six runs on four hits in the second inning to take a nine-run lead over NIU.

Stewart recorded the Huskies third hit of the game and her second with a single to shortstop in the third. Stewart would be left stranded as the Wildcats pitcher struck out the final NIU batter of the inning. Madison Carlson (South Beloit, Ill./South Beloit) threw a pair of strikeouts to end the bottom of the third and keep Northwestern from adding to their lead.

The Huskies return to Mary M. Bell Field on March 28-29 as they host the Ohio University Bobcats for a three-game series. Action will begin with a doubleheader on March 28 at 2 p.m.