PHOENIX — Colgate could not come up with a victory on day two of the Kickoff Classic, falling to Northern Illinois, 5-2, and Wichita State, 6-0, in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader. 

Junior Alexa Acker shined at the plate in game one, picking up three hits in four at-bats and pushing one of Colgate's two runs across the plate with her fourth RBI of the weekend. In the circle, Acker racked up four strikeouts in seven innings pitched across both games.

GAME 1 - Colgate 2, NIU 5
First-year Analisa Raffaelli was the first base runner for the Raiders after drawing a four pitch walk in the first, and ended up on third after stealing a base and advancing on a Quinn Livesay single up the middle. 

Lily Haluska added her first-career RBI to score Raffaelli, and Acker controlled the game from there scoring Livesay with a single to right center.

Acker would strike out two Huskies over the ensuing three innings while guarding a one-run lead, but eventually ran into trouble when a bases-loaded double and sacrifice fly put NIU in front, 5-2, after four. 

Acker would earn her third hit of the game in the fifth, and the Raiders were again threatening with the bases loaded and two outs, but a fly out kept the score at 5-2 where it would hold for the following two frames.

GAME 2 - Colgate 0, Wichita State 6
The Shockers started fast adding four runs before first-year Mikala Ham stepped into the circle and forced a ground ball and pop up to end the top of the first.

Colgate would strand three runners on base across the next two frames until a solo shot from Wichita State extended the lead to five. 

Back-to-back walks kick-started a Raider rally that loaded the bases with two outs, but a line out to third ended the inning without any runs crossing the plate. 

The Raiders went hitless across the final three innings while the Shockers added another insurance run, sealing the shutout loss for Colgate.

UP NEXT
Colgate rounds out the Kickoff Classic tomorrow at 11 a.m. with a rematch against Wichita State.