DEKALB, Ill. - The Western Michigan softball team battled in a marathon of a game against the Huskies of Northern Illinois, dropping game one of the series in 11 innings, 4-3.

The Broncos broke the 2-2 stalemate in the top of the 11^th taking a 3-2 lead, but NIU answered with two runs of their own for the walk-off victory.

Sophomore Sydney Stefanick pitched all 10.2 innings for the Brown and Gold, allowing two earned runs on nine hits and sending seven Huskies back to the bench via strikeout. 

The Bronco offense struck for 11 hits, while three WMU players would register multi-hit games. Erin Barg would led the way at the plate for Western Michigan, going 2-for-5, driving in two runs. 

NIU took a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the third. The Broncos responded using three hits to score two runs on a Barg single to center field scoring Kaylen Glenfield and Stefanick.

The 2-2 deadlock would remain until the top of the 11^thinning. The Broncos put runners on second and third base with one out, and an error by the Huskies catcher allowed WMU to take a 3-2 lead. 

Northern Illinois used three hits to score two runs in the bottom of the 11^th, with the game-winning run coming on a single with runners on the corners to escape with the win. 

Up Next
The Brown and Gold move to 17-25 overall with the loss, and 8-10 in Mid-American Conference play. The teams will meet back up again tomorrow for a doubleheader to close out the regular season. First pitch in game one is set for 2 p.m. ET. 

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @WMUSoftball