EAST PEORIA, Ill. - Three consecutive one-run victories put the Northern Kentucky University softball team into Sunday's championship round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
But NKU needed no late-inning heroics to claim the GLVC Tournament championship. The Norse pounded out three home runs en route to a 10-2 victory against Lewis in the finals Sunday. NKU (31-21) collected 11 hits and won the GLVC Tournament championship for the first time since 2005.
Lewis (38-18) took a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Courtney Lyons hit a home run over the left-field wall. NKU, however, loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning after singles from
Amanda Smith and
Cara Parker, and a walk to
Sam Del Vecchio.
That brought freshman
Ashley Gates to the plate. Gates drove the first pitch from Lyons over the left-field wall for a grand slam and a 4-1 NKU lead. Gates now has 12 home runs, which is an NKU single-season record.
Rose Broderick launched a three-run homer in the fourth inning to extend the Norse's advantage to 7-2.
Gretchen Lorenz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-2, and
Shatona Campbell's run-scoring single up the middle later that inning brought in
Jessica Farris to end the game due to the eight-run mercy rule.
April Ehlers collected her 18th win of the season as NKU defeated Lewis for the fourth time this spring. The Norse also earned the GLVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament and will participate in the Midwest Regional next weekend.
NKU has not been to the NCAA Division II Tournament since 2006. In 2004 and '05, the Norse captured regional championships.
