It wasn’t your typical home run trot. In fact, it wasn’t a trot at all; it was more of a sprint. It wasn’t until NIU catcher Allie Parker rounded second base that she realized she had picked up her first home run as a Huskie.

The solo shot in the fourth inning helped NIU (11-23 overall, 5-7 MAC) split a doubleheader at Toledo with an 8-4 win.

“I was just super excited that I hit it hard,” Parker said. “It wasn’t until I rounded second that I looked at coach to see if I should go to third and saw her smiling. Then I saw the team running out of the dugout.”

Parker wasn’t done there. In her next at bat, she made sure to enjoy it as she blasted her second home run of the afternoon – this one a three-run shot to left-center field.

Parker added another RBI on a single in the seventh, giving her five RBIs on the day. That matches her total number of RBIs heading into the game and her total from all of last season. She finished the game 3-for-3.

“It feels really good; I’m finally seeing the ball well,” Parker said. “I feel a lot more confident now.”

Perhaps Parker picked up a thing or two from NIU shortstop Michelle Nendza, who started the game with a two-run homer that scored third baseman Krista McPherson.

The home run was Nendza’s ninth, breaking her career high.

The win also evens out NIU, who split a series with Bowling Green on Friday. The Huskies took the second game 3-2 in eight innings. Nendza came up clutch in the eighth with a two-out home run to put the Huskies on top.

The rest came down to freshman pitcher Joreigh Landers.

Landers pitched four innings of relief and picked up her third win of the year. She gave up just three hits and walked one batter to close out the game.

“I think we’ve been doing a lot better,” Parker said. “We were struggling to win games earlier, but I think we’re on the same page now. We realize that the most important aspect is communication.”

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