single up the middle in the third inning, and only three base runners total in the contest. Marshall totaled 19 hits in the game, and each started recorded at least one hit, with Braxton, Webster and Kaelynn Green each adding three.
Game 2 started off in much the same way as the opener, with Marshall scoring a run in the first inning and five more in the second, including Braxton's fourth home run of the day, a three-run shot off the scoreboard in right field.
The Norse would scratch across their first run of the game in the third inning after
Kari Lang led off the inning with a walk and advanced into scoring position on McQueen's infield single. Lang dented the plate after
Dee Dee Davis grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but the relay to first base flew wide, allowing the Norse catcher to score.
Natalie Papi, who had two of NKU's eight hits on the game, drove in the second NKU run in the contest in the sixth inning.
Dani Devlin opened the inning with a double off the wall in right field and moved to third base on a
Michelle Carson groundout. Papi brought the run home on an RBI single to left field.
Lindsey Fadnek got the win for Marshall in the circle, striking out six Norse batters in five innings of work to improve to 4-6 on the year. Escareno had a three-hit game to lead the Thundering Herd in the second game, while Kaelynn Greene added two hits and two runs. Morgan Zerkle also had a pair of hits to go with two stolen bases.
NKU will look to turn around a 12-game slide this weekend, hosting Atlantic Sun Conference foe South Carolina Upstate for a three-game series, beginning on Saturday with a doubleheader. First pitch from the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field is scheduled for noon. The series will conclude on Sunday with a single game, also beginning at noon.
