Kaylin Steinmetz is greeted at home plate after hitting her second home run of the day and her 12th of the season. Steinmetz now shares the NKU record for home runs in a single season.
Game 1 box score |
Game 2 box score
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – It was a day of extremes on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball as the Northern Kentucky University softball team claimed a doubleheader sweep over Urbana on Tuesday.
The Norse (16-8) used three home runs in the fourth inning to claim a 9-0 victory in Game 1, while
Alex Caudill turned in one of her best pitching performances of the season in a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.
Caudill wasn't the only Norse pitcher to excel, as
Emily Schwaeble picked up her second no-hitter of the season – and her career – in Game 1, carrying a perfect game into the fifth inning before a two-out walk spoiled perfection for the junior.
Schwaeble (12-1) is the first NKU pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in a single season since NKU Hall of Famer Krystal Lewallen accomplished the feat four times in 2005.
After Schwaeble and Urbana starter Lauren Anderson put zeros on the board through the middle of the fourth inning, NKU exploded offensively.
Kaylin Steinmetz had two hits in the inning, starting the rally with a leadoff double and ending it with a grand slam.
Schwaeble helped her own cause and broke the scoreless tie with a three-run home run, her second of the season.
Kari Lang also got in the mix with a two-run bomb of her own. The Norse sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning, pounding out seven hits.
Caudill (3-6) came close to equaling her counterpart's feat, allowing just one hit in Game 2, an infield single to Heather Hakola.
Steinmetz hit another long ball in Game 2, going to the opposite field to club her 12th home run of the season, tying the NKU single-season record and pulling her within one homer of the national lead.
Natalie Papi went 3-3 with an RBI while
Mandi McQueen added a 2-3 performance.
The Norse hope to keep their winning streak going into a key weekend of Great Lakes Valley Conference action. NKU hosts Saint Joseph's on Saturday before welcoming in No. 6 Indianapolis on Sunday. First pitch for each doubleheader is scheduled for noon.
