HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team returns to Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend, traveling south to take on Lipscomb for a three-game weekend series.
The series will open on Saturday evening with a 5 p.m. Eastern first pitch for a doubleheader from Draper Diamond. The teams will reconvene on Sunday at 2 p.m. to conclude the series with a matinee contest. Links to live stats and video broadcasts are available at nkunorse.com.
The Norse, now 4-38 on the year and 1-19 in A-Sun play, are looking to start a winning streak after taking a 2-1 victory over Eastern Kentucky to close out Tuesday's nonconference doubleheader.
Alyssa Enrique spun a one-hitter to take the victory while
Michelle Carson went 3-for-3 and drove in both NKU runs.
A WORD ABOUT LIPSCOMB: The Lady Bisons have already punched their ticket to the A-Sun Tournament, entering this weekend with a 15-8 conference record to go with their 36-11 overall mark. As a team, Lipscomb is top three in the A-Sun in virtually every offensive category, led by the pair of Paige Neely, whose .386 batting average is fourth in the A-Sun, and Rena' Cothron, who boasts a .453 on-base percentage to rank fifth in the league. Brittany Elmore has crossed the plate 47 times, ranking second in the league, and stolen 21 bases to rank third among conference players. Kristen Sturdivant provides the power for the Lady Bisons, blasting nine home runs on the year to rank seventh in the conference.
Ashley Anderson leads the Lipscomb pitching staff, throwing a league-high 164.2 innings on the year and compiling an 18-4 record with a 1.49 ERA in that span, striking out 112 batters while holding opponents to a .207 batting average. Tanner Sanders follows up with a 10-4 record and a 2.99 ERA.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE LADY BISONS: Lipscomb helped NKU close out the 2013 season, sweeping the Norse in Highland Heights over a three-game series on May 3-4, 2013. The Lady Bisons got strong pitching performances in a pair of shutouts in the opening doubleheader. Tanner Sanders spun a no-hitter in a 6-0 victory while Heather Parker struck out five and walked one in a 3-0 win. The Lady Bisons completed the sweep with a 4-3 win over the Norse in the final game of the regular season.
Kaylin Steinmetz hit a two-run home run and
Michelle Carson picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk. Lipscomb leads the all-time series between the teams, 3-0.
SECOND CENTURY: Saturday's opening game will be the 200
th start for second baseman
Dee Dee Davis, which will put the senior alone in 10
th place on the all-time list for NKU. Davis has started every game she has played for the Norse and has not missed a start in her four-year career.
CARSON COMES AROUND: Michelle Carson's three-hit game was her first three-hit game this year and her second multi-hit game of the season. It's just the sixth time a Norse player has had three or more hits in a game and the first since
Nicolette Hayes went 3-for-4 in an 9-7 victory over North Florida on March 22.
MISSING BATS: Alyssa Enrique's one-hit performance in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Eastern Kentucky was a landmark pitching effort for the Norse. It marked the fewest hits allowed by the Norse in a Division I contest, and are the fewest allowed by an NKU starter in a complete game since March 20, 2012, when the Norse shut out Urbana in back-to-back games.
Alex Caudill spun a one-hit shutout while
Emily Schwaeble threw her second career no-hitter.
