DeKALB, Ill. - Western Michigan softball fell in the series opener at Northern Illinois, 10-1, in five innings on Saturday afternoon at Mary M. Bell Field.
The Broncos returned to the NIU campus for the second week in a row, this time playing the Huskies for a two-game series that began Saturday afternoon.
WMU scored first in a game for the 17th time this season as Jenny Rohn registered an RBI-single in the top of the first inning. Melissa Palmer, who is hitting .457 (21-for-46) has a lead-off hitter, started off the game with a base hit. Two batters late Loren Nagy drew a walk and was pinch ran for by Emma Bogart, who scored on Rohn's single. Western Michigan went on to load the bases in the first, setting Megan Stamm up with the opportunity for her third grand slam this season, but WMU left the bases full of Broncos.
WMU was not able to pick up its 11th victory in games when they score first as as Northern Illinois six runs on four hits and a Bronco error in the home half of the second inning. Nagy recorded the Broncos' third and final hit of the game in the top of the third but was stranded to keep the deficit at five runs.
NIU took advantage of its pitcher's performance in the circle and added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth to reach the decisive margin of 10-1.
Western Michigan will look to even the series at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT Sunday afternoon when the team returns to Mary M. Bell Field against the Huskies.
