University of Toledo
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Softball Earns Doubleheader Split Against Northern Illinois
3/31/2001 12:00:00 PM | Softball
Toledo, OH - The University of Toledo softball team (11-13, 1-4 MAC) splits its doubleheader this afternoon against Northern Illinois (9-18, 4-3 MAC) by earning a 3-1 triumph in the nightcap. The Rockets were held to five hits in the opener and lost by a 6-3 margin.
"We really got some solid pitching today, especially with Colette in the second game," Toledo Head Coach Michelle Fagnant said. "She did as good of a job today as she has all season."
In the nightcap, junior hurler Colette McMasters pitched a gem for the Midnight Blue and Gold, throwing a complete-game six hitter.With the win, McMasters improves to 4-5. NIU's Anne Hamilton took the loss and dropped to 1-4 on th season.
Sophomore Jenny Schaaf, who went 1-for-2 with two runs scored, drilled a Hamilton fastball into the gap in left center in the opening frame for a double scoring junior Laurie Linton all the way from first to plate the first run of the game. Linton led off the Rocket first with a walk.
Then with two outs in the third, Schaaf and senior Laurie Nagel hit back-to-back doubles to stretch the UT lead to 2-0.
Pinch-hitter Tracy Riepenhoff delivered the knock-out punch in the sixth with an RBI single to left to give the Rockets a three-run lead.
"We were able to get some timely hitting in the second game and put some runs on the board," Fagnant said. "It was nice to see our players come through in some situations."
NIU made things interesting in the seventh, as the Huskies loaded the bases with one out, but were only able to score one run.
In the opening game, the Huskies got on the scoreboard in the first inning on an RBI single by Kathy LeClear, scoring Samantha Knoll, who led off the game with a walk.
They pushed the lead to 2-0 in the third on a home run to left by Knoll. Then in the fourth, NIU stretched its lead to 3-0 on a sacrifice fly by Kinsey Olson.
UT cut into the lead in the fourth on a wild pitch scoring Schaaf, who broke up NIU's Amy Krahula's no-hitter with a triple to right center.
Freshman Vicki Nelson then drilled a two-out single up the middle in the sixth, scoring Schaaf and Nagel, but the Rockets could not get any closer.
NIU also plated a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to make the final, 6-3.
UT starter Kristy Kassotis (3-5) took the loss, yielding eight hits, while striking out five. Kruhula (3-2) got the win pitching the first six innings. Friday's winner Courtney Witvliet threw one pitch in the seventh to earn her second save of the season.
"It was a disappointing loss for us in the first game," Fagnant said. "We had a lot of chances to score but just couldn't capitalize. Our defense was shaky also and that's what ended up costing us the game."
The Rockets return to action on Tuesday, April 3 with a doubleheader at Dayton. The first pitch in scheduled at 3:00 p.m.
