Emily Schwaeble has two doubles on the season and leads the Norse with a .500 batting average.
NKU-WSU box score |
NKU-UWA box score
DECATUR, Ala. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team survived a seventh-inning scare to preserve a 3-2 victory over Wayne State (Mich.) in Day 2 action at the Charger Chillout.
The win balanced out a 5-0 defeat at the hands of West Alabama. The Norse ended the day with a 3-1 record on the young season.
NKU struck early against Wayne State (1-2) as
Jessica Farris started the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff single and later scored on an
Emily Schwaeble RBI-double, her third double of the young season.
The Norse added two more in the second inning when
Allie Conner laced a two-run single to center field.
The Warriors clawed back with runs in the fourth and sixth innings to cut the lead to 3-2 and made a solid comeback bid in the seventh inning.
After a leadoff groundout, The Warriors' Lauren Histed drew a five-pitch walk and Nikki Fulton got the better of a 13-pitch battle, earning a base on balls in the process. White followed with an infield single to load the bases with one out.
The Norse infield made a pair of key defensive plays to save the game. Farris came up huge, picking an Allen ground ball and cutting down Histed at the plate for the second out.
Dee Dee Davis finished things up by knocking down a hot shot to second to preserve the victory.
Eight of the nine NKU starters got hits on the game with Schwaeble and
Taylor Zuberer each claiming two-hit days.
Schwaeble (2-0) got the win in the circle, surrendering two runs on four hits while picking up three strikeouts.
Alex Caudill got her first collegiate save, collecting the final four outs in relief.
In the nightcap, West Alabama (3-5) opened the scoring by putting a crooked number up on the scoreboard in the second inning. After a throwing error plated the game's first run, Morgan Morrison broke the game open with a two-run home run over the left-field wall to make it a 3-0 advantage.
The Norse had their chances in the game, with
Kaylin Steinmetz and
Allie Conner each recording triples in the contest, but could not cash in as nine runners were left on base and another three base runners were cut down at home plate for the Norse.
The Tigers' Kristen Skinner (1-1) got the shutout victory, scattering five hits and walking four while striking out seven. Caudill (1-1) suffered her first loss of the season, giving up four earned runs on eight hits.
The Norse wrap up their action in the Charger Chillout on Sunday. The day's games have been pushed back two hours due to overnight rains, so NKU will open against Georgia College at 1 p.m. and conclude the day with a game against Barry at 3 p.m.
