Box score |
Photo gallery
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University pitcher
Emily Schwaeble flirted with perfection on Sunday afternoon, carrying a perfect game through six innings to help the Norse defeat East Tennessee State, 4-0, to pick up their first shutout of the season.
The senior retired the first 18 batters to come to the plate for ETSU, allowing just two hits and striking out eight batters to help NKU improve to 10-30 overall and 4-14 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. ETSU fell to 10-29 and 0-19 in A-Sun play.
Schwaeble also got the scoring started for the Norse in the bottom of the first inning. After
KC Straley and
Natalie Papi reached base on singles, the Colerain High School product pulled the first pitch she saw off the bag at third base to plate Straley and stake an early lead for the Norse.
NKU put three more on the board in the fourth inning when
Alesa Collinsworth scored on a wild pitch before
Dee Dee Davis hit a line-drive two-run home run over the left field wall. It marked Davis' third home run of the season and extended her team-best hitting streak to nine games.
Straley went 3-for-4 and scored two runs for an NKU offense that pounded out 10 hits on the day. Papi collected a pair of hits as well as seven of the nine Norse starters got in the hit column on the day.
The Norse, winners of three straight games, get a day off Monday before returning to action on Tuesday, hosting Miami (Ohio) at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
