Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Box score

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The East Tennessee State University softball team rattled off six unanswered runs to take a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Northern Kentucky University in Game 1 of a scheduled Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader at Betty Basler Field.
 
Game 2 of the doubleheader was postponed due to rain and will be played Sunday. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
 
With the loss, NKU falls to 3-24 overall and 1-9 in A-Sun play. NKU outhit ETSU in the game, 7-6, but left six runners on base, including three in scoring position.
 
The Norse got on the board in the second inning after Nicolette Hayes was hit by a pitch and Natalie Papi followed up with an opposite-field single, Michelle Carson blasted her first home run of the season to left-centerfield to make it a 3-0 game.
 
The Norse took advantage of some small-ball opportunities to add another run in the third inning, beginning with a Dani Devlin one-out walk. The Norse catcher moved to second on a groundout and came around to score when Natalie Papi's grounder to shortstop was misplayed, allowing Devlin to score.
 
Dee Dee Davis extended the lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning with the first of her two hits on the game, an RBI single to right field to score KC Straley.
 
ETSU was not done, however, as the Buccaneers got back in the game on Danielle Knoetze's two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the 5-2 Norse lead held until the sixth inning.
 
A single by Alex Everett, a double by Jackie Baird and a walk to Knoetze loaded the bases in the sixth and knocked NKU starter Alyssa Enrique out of the game in favor of Alex Caudill. However, the change did not stem the offense, as Cowart worked a 3-2 count into a sacrifice fly to score Everett before Taylor Carter completed the comeback with a three-run home run to left, making it a 6-5 ETSU lead.
 
Davis managed a one-out single in the seventh, but fly outs by Katelyn Roy and Devlin stranded the tying run and ended the game.
 
Caudill took the loss in relief, falling to 0-14 on the year. In the start, Enrique went 5.1 innings, giving up five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out two.
 
Whitney Leon improved her record to 2-4 on the season, pitching 5.2 innings in relief of Katie Wolff. Leon gave up one earned run on three hits, walked two and struck out two as ETSU improved to 12-15 overall and 2-8 in A-Sun play.