NKU's Emily Schwaeble (right) is greeted after hitting a grand slam against Tiffin.
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Game 1 box score |
Game 2 box score
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Junior pitcher
April Ehlers struck out 15 batters and collected two hits to lead the Northern Kentucky University softball team to a 6-1 win against Tiffin in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
The Norse (17-8) completed the sweep with an 8-1 victory in the nightcap, extending their winning streak to nine games. NKU has not lost since a 4-1 setback at Missouri S&T on March 14.
In the opener, Ehlers held Tiffin (12-6) without a hit until the top of the sixth inning, when Stephanie Bobotas hit a sinking line drive to right field that just eluded a diving
Gretchen Lorenz for a single. The Dragons avoided a shutout later that inning when Meagan Baird singled in Bobotas.
Ehlers (8-5) finished off Tiffin in the seventh by striking out three batters. Earlier this season, Ehlers struck out a Norse single-game record 20 batters during a loss at Drury.
Jessica Farris keyed the NKU offense by scoring three runs. The Norse also drove in three runs via sacrifice flies from
Stephanie West,
Rose Broderick and
Ashley Gates.
In the nightcap, pitcher
Emily Schwaeble hit a first-inning grand slam to give NKU a 4-0 lead. It marked the first career home run for Schwaeble, a freshman from Colerain High School in Cincinnati who finished with five runs batted in.
Schwaeble (6-0) also picked up the win and five strikeouts in five innings of work, lowering her earned run average to 0.76 this spring.
Farris scored two more runs in the nightcap, while West was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Broderick also scored twice for NKU, which received two innings of scoreless relief from
Chelsie Roy.
NKU hits the road for a non-conference doubleheader at Truman State on Friday. The Norse resume Great Lakes Valley Conference play Saturday with a doubleheader at Illinois-Springfield.
NKU is 9-2 in the GLVC going into Saturday's games at Illinois-Springfield.
