A massive first inning from Bowling Green in the first game led the Falcons past the Huskies in five innings, with an 11-3 score in favor of the home team.
The Huskies responded in the second game with a lead-off home run, courtesy of Ellis Erickson (Lutz, Fla./Freedom) as the Huskies won the second game 14-4 in six innings and the series.
With action this weekend, the Huskies move to 17-30 on the season and 8-15 in Mid-American Conference play. This was the Huskies seventh run-rule game of the season and their first back-to-back run-rule against the same opponent.
“It’s always great to win a series, especially when you have a run-rule win and a no-hitter like yesterday,” said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. “We had a lot of Huskies have a great weekend. AP (Alana Powell) had a big today for us at the plate in key situations.”
Game One Recap (NIU 3, Bowling Green 11 | 5 Innings)
Erickson, Turner, and Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) quickly loaded the bases in the top of the first inning, which saw two steals for the Huskies. Erickson and Turner were both called out as they crossed the plate as the Falcons kept NIU from scoring.
Bowling Green rattled off seven runs on six hits in the bottom of the first to take a 7-0 lead over the Huskies.
Turner recorded her second hit of the day in the third inning, a single to center field as the second batter for the Huskies in the inning. Caitlyn Shumaker (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) hit an RBI single to third base as Turner scored the first run of the day for the Huskies.
Bowling Green had a three-run home run in the bottom of the third to take a 10-1 advantage over the Huskies.
After reaching on a walk, Avery Carnahan (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) scored the second run of the game on a Katy Ramage (Germantown Hills, Ill./Metamora Township) RBI single up the middle. Alana Powell (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) singled to second base before scoring on Erickson’s fly out to left-center field for the third run of the game.
Bowling Green scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, defeating the Huskies 11-3 in five innings.
Game Two Recap (NIU 14, Bowling Green 4 | 6 Innings)
Erickson hit her eighth home run of the season to lead off the top of the first inning for the Huskies, sending the ball on a 2-1 count to center field. Turner scored the second run of the game on Madison Mathews’s (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) RBI single up the middle. Stewart scored on a wild pitch as Trinity Jones Estrada (Sylmar, Calif./John F. Kennedy) was at bat. An RBI single by Jones Estrada sent Mathews across home plate for the fourth run of the game.
After an hour-long delay due to lightning, Erickson started the second inning of play with her 18th double of the season. A 2 RBI single from Powell sent Turner and Courtney James (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) across home plate as the Huskies added to their score. Mathews was the final Huskie to score in the second inning, scoring the seventh run of the game as Powell got called out for stealing second base.
Bowling Green got on the board in the bottom of the third frame, scoring four runs off three hits.
Back-to-back singles from Erickson and Turner were how the Huskies started the fourth frame. The duo scored the eighth and ninth runs of the game on a 2 RBI single by Powell. Powell crossed home plate for the tenth run of the game on the next play, as Carnahan reached on a fielding error by Bowling Green.
A pair of errors by Bowling Green sent Stewart and Turner across home plate as the Huskies scored four consecutive runs in the top of the fourth inning. Powell hit her first career triple as a Huskie as Mathews scored for the Huskies. Carnahan grounded out to the shortstop for an RBI as Powell scored the final run of the game for the Huskies.
In the pitcher’s circle, Lily Cassell (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone) went the distance for her fourth complete game this season and recorded four strikeouts and no walks.
Huskie Notes
- Turner and Powell combined for five of the Huskies eight hits in the first game, as Turner went 3-for-3 and Powell went 2-for-2 at the plate.
- Turner was the only Huskie to score a run and be credited with an RBI in the first game of the day.
- Erickson has 18 doubles this season, just five away from tying the school record of 23. The record of 23 doubles in a single season was set by Katie Keller in 2021.
- With Turner’s four runs scored against Bowling Green in the second game, she joins a seven-way tie for most runs scored in a single game.
- Powell had 5 RBIs in the second game.
- Today’s games marked the ninth and tenth games of the season for the Huskies that were either run-ruled or required extra innings to determine a winner in the game.
- The Huskies are 3-4 in run-rule games, having won two games via run-rule this week.