HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule on Tuesday when the Norse visit in-state foe Eastern Kentucky for a doubleheader at Gertrude Hood Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Links to live stats will be available at nkunorse.com.
The Norse (11-33) rallied on Saturday to claim a 4-3 victory in eight innings over North Florida to salvage the final game of their three-game Atlantic Sun Conference weekend series.
KC Straley went 3-for-3 with a walk and scored two runs, including the game winner, in the wrap-up match. It marked NKU's first extra-inning victory of the 2013 season.
EASTERN KENTUCKY SCOUTING REPORT: The Colonels enter this week's twin-bill with a record of 29-17, standing atop the Ohio Valley Conference's East Division with a league record of 16-5 after sweeping a pair from Tennessee-Martin on Sunday. The EKU offense keys off its three heavy hitters – Sarah Fobbs, Raquel Howes and Katie Tackett – who have combined to hit 30 of the team's 38 home runs this season. Fobbs leads with a .342 batting average, while Howes claims 13 doubles and a team-high 32 runs scored and 37 RBI and Tackett's 11 home runs lead the team. In the circle, Leanna Pittsenbarger has a 17-8 record, including five shutouts, and a 2.15 ERA on the season, having struck out a remarkable 206 batters in 159.2 innings.
LAST TIME AGAINST EASTERN KENTUCKY: Raquel Howes scored on a passed ball in the ninth inning to lead EKU to a walk-off victory over Northern Kentucky on Feb. 23 at the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Michelle Carson had two of NKU's four hits in the game, while
Emily Schwaeble struck out four in the hard-luck loss. NKU holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 2-1, owing to a doubleheader sweep of the Colonials in 1993.
DIAL IT UP TO 13: Dee Dee Davis kept the hitting streak alive over the weekend series at North Florida, getting hits in each game to run the total to 13 games in a row with a hit. Her streak is now the longest for a Norse players since
Jessica Farris had a 15-game hitting streak during the 2011 season.
