HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team returns to the road seeking its first Atlantic Sun Conference victory this weekend when the Norse take on Kennesaw State for a three-game league series.
The teams will play in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon before closing out the series with a single game on Sunday. First pitch each day is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live stats will be available for all contests at nkunorse.com.
The Norse (6-18, 0-6 A-Sun) saw their home opener spoiled last weekend by the visiting Mercer Bears, who swept NKU in a three-game A-Sun series.
KENNESAW STATE SCOUTING REPORT: The Owls are hot off the heels of a 2012 season that saw them reach the championship game of the A-Sun Tournament, and now boast a 2013 record of 20-4, including a 4-1 mark in A-Sun play after sweeping a three-game set from Lipscomb last weekend. Amanda Henderson (12-0, 1.14 ERA) leads a pitching staff that ranks second in the A-Sun with a 1.63 ERA. Sharon Swanson is the backbone of the Owls offense, swinging the bat at a .390 clip while compiling six doubles and a team-best six home runs. She has driven in 19 runs on the year and scored 13 more.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE OWLS: Keri McKee keyed a five-run second inning with a three-run double as Kennesaw State ended NKU's quest for a national championship with a 6-0 win over the Norse in an elimination game in the NCAA Division II World Series on May 22, 2005. The loss ended NKU's season with an astonishing 55-2 record and leveled the all-time series between the clubs at 1-1.
BACK-TO-BACK FRESHMEN GO BACK-TO-BACK: The Norse made noise in Sunday's series finale against Mercer when freshmen
Tory Speakman and
Alexis VanHorn clubbed back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the second inning, tying the game at the time. For Speakman it marked her first career home run, while it was VanHorn's second homer of the year. The last time two Norse hit back-to-back home runs was April 22, 2012, when
Kaylin Steinmetz and
Emily Schwaeble each notched solo homers to lead off a 5-2 victory over Saint Joseph's (Ind.).
LEADING OFF RIGHT: Sophomore outfielder
KC Straley is settling into her role as the team's leadoff hitter quite nicely, having picked up base hits in nine of her last 12 games, including a six-game hitting streak. She's hitting .275 (11-for-40) over the span including a double, three runs scored and an RBI.
McQUEEN READY FOR CONFERENCE PLAY: Junior shortstop
Mandi McQueen has turned up the heat in conference play, batting .333 (4-for-12), with a double and two runs scored. Since rejoining the starting lineup on March 8, she's batting .300 with three runs scored and six RBIs.
