Weekend Game Notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team returns to the road for Atlantic Sun Conference action this weekend, when the Norse travel to take on North Florida for a three-game conference series.
First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's finale are set for 1 p.m. Live stats links are available at nkunorse.com.
NKU, now 10-31 on the year and winners of three of their last four games, picked up a three-game sweep of East Tennessee State in last weekend's A-Sun play before falling in midweek action to Miami (Ohio), 5-4. The Norse are 4-14 in conference play.
This weekend's series will mark the first ever meetings between the Norse and the Ospreys.
NORTH FLORIDA SCOUTING REPORT: The Ospreys enter the weekend with a record of 34-12 overall and 12-5 in A-Sun play. UNF is currently second in the A-Sun standings, three games back of conference leader South Carolina Upstate. The team boasts a pitching staff that racked up a Division I record seven-consecutive shutouts earlier this season, holding opponents scoreless for 54.1 innings during the streak. Kaylie Wallace leads not just the Ospreys but the A-Sun with a 1.48 earned run average to go with her 18-4 record, having struck out 98 batters, in 132 innings. Mariah Reynolds stands as one of the team's most potent offensive weapons, leading the Ospreys with nine home runs and 32 RBIs. Kelly Wilson is the A-Sun's leader in doubles with 14 on the season, while Danica Mandarano's .344 batting average ranks in the top 10 of the league.
MAKE IT 10:
Dee Dee Davis continues to produce for the Norse, extending her team-best hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the 5-4 loss to Miami. Davis now leads the Norse with a .302 batting average and a .481 slugging percentage. Her 39 hits, including 15 extra-base hits, 14 runs and 16 RBIs are also team highs on the season.
ONE GOOD STAND DESERVES ANOTHER: After finishing a four-game home stand against ETSU and Miami, the Norse now hit the road for their next eight contests. After this weekend's series at North Florida, NKU will travel for a midweek doubleheader at Eastern Kentucky next week before heading down to Florida Gulf Coast for another three-game league series. NKU finishes out the 2013 season the following weekend, hosting Lipscomb.
