Game 1 box score |
Game 2 box scoreINDIANAPOLIS – Multiple misplays and a lack of offense led to the Northern Kentucky University softball team dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Butler on Wednesday afternoon. NKU fell by scores of 11-0 and 6-2.
With the losses, NKU dropped to 3-23 on the season as the Norse gear up for a weekend series at East Tennessee State beginning on Saturday.
Game 1 saw the NKU pitching staff strike out a season-high six batters. Butler, however, was able to sustain a strong offense and take advantage of four Norse errors to claim an 11-0 victory. NKU was no-hit for the second time this season as Kristin Guiterrez improved to 6-8 on the year, striking out five Norse and walking two.
Krista Hakola paced the offense for Butler, going 2-for-3 with a double and five RBIs. Her three-run double in the fourth inning sparked a seven-run outburst and sealed the game for the Bulldogs. Krosley Ogden and Kristen Boros also posted two-run performances as the Bulldogs combined for nine hits in the contest.
KC Straley walked and stole a base in the top of the first inning to break up any bid for perfection.
Dee Dee Davis was NKU's only other base runner, drawing a one-out walk in the fourth.
Alex Caudill took the loss for NKU, striking out four batters in the contest before seeing her record fall to 0-13.
NKU's offense came alive in Game 2, but the Norse hampered themselves with seven errors en route to a 9-2 loss. Butler got on the board in the bottom of the first inning with some small ball. Sarah Gronowski reached on an infield single and stole second base, eventually coming around on a sacrifice fly by Alex Kotter to make it 1-0.
The Norse came right back in the top of the second inning after
Dani Devlin led off the frame by being hit by a pitch. She advanced to second base on a wild pitch and third on a sacrifice bunt by
Nicolette Hayes.
Michelle Carson's single up the middle brought the run home and tied the game, marking Carson's second RBI of the season.
Butler leveraged another Norse error to retake the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Chelsea Norwood reached on a misplay at third base and came around to score on a Boros double to the gap in left-center field. NKU would not go away, however, as
Dana Jarboe started another comeback bid with a leadoff single to start the fifth. After Straley walked to put a runner in scoring position, Davis slapped a double-play ball to the shortstop that the Butler defense could not handle, allowing Jarboe to come around and make it a 2-2 game.
Back-to-back Norse errors in the fifth inning gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, as Norwood reached base on a bobbled ball at third base, while she and Kotter would come around to score when the Norse catcher's attempt to cut down Norwood at third base after a wild pitch sailed into the outfield, making it 4-2.
The Bulldogs chained together five hits to plate five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to reach the 9-2 final score. Butler spread eight hits across eight different batters and stole four bases as a team, including two by Gronowski.
Alyssa Enrique took the loss in the nightcap, falling to 2-4 on the season. The freshman surrendered just two earned runs and struck out two in the game. Allie Tarrant got her first win of the season for Butler, striking out five Norse to improve to 1-5 on the year.
After a midweek doubleheader at Miami (Ohio) next week, the Norse return home on April 4 to host Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson for a three-game conference series. It's Strike Out Cancer Weekend; fans are encouraged to wear pink to the ball park and help NKU softball raise funds for the American Cancer Society. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field is set for noon.
