HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –
Kate Bartolovich and
Paige McQueen combined for six hits and four RBIs as the Northern Kentucky University softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Marshall by scores of 9-2 and 6-3.
Bartolovich extended her hitting streak to five games with the performance.
KC Straley added a double and
Ashlynn Roberts chipped in with an RBI in the opener as the Norse fell to 5-35 on the season.
Game 1 Marshall (31-11) used small ball to put up two quick runs in the first inning as back-to-back bunt singles from Morgan Zerkle and Kaelynn Greene set the table for two run-scoring plays as Zerkle scored on an Elicia D'Orazio sacrifice while Greene crossed the plate after a Shaelynn Braxton sacrifice fly. The Thundering Herd strung together six consecutive singles, three on bunts, to plate three more runs in the bottom of the second inning and extend their lead to 5-0.
The Norse made their response in the top of the fourth inning.
Katelyn Roy reached on a throwing error by Marshall pitcher Jordan Dixon and scored on Bartolovich's double to the gap in right-center field. McQueen followed with a single, moving Bartolovich to third and setting up Roberts' RBI ground out to third base, cutting the Marshall lead to 5-2.
Braxton's two-run single in the bottom of the fourth pushed the Marshall lead back to five runs and her fourth RBI of the day on an infield single in the sixth, followed by a Taylor McCord single to plate another run and reach the final score.
Zerkle, Greene and McCord each had three of Marshall's 16 hits, while Braxton used two hits to pick up her four RBIs. Greene added three stolen bases and Zerkle swiped two bags.
Roberts (3-13) struck out four in the contest for the Norse. Dixon struck out 15 Norse, surrendering two runs on four hits in the win.
Game 2 Braxton picked up where she left off in the nightcap, driving in the game's first run for Marshall on an RBI-single to left field to plate Green, who reached on a bunt single, one of two hits for the Herd's left fielder. Marshall then took advantage of four hits and two Norse errors to score four runs in the second inning.
Again, the Norse struck back in the fourth, this time on a two-out rally.
Sydney Ferrante drew a walk and Roy was hit by a pitch to put ducks on the pond for Bartolovich, who cashed in the pitching mistakes with a RBI-single to center field. McQueen followed with a two-run single of her own, bringing the Norse to within two runs at 5-3.
Zerkle drove in the game's final run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI-bunt single to score Kylie Howard, who doubled to left field to open the inning. The Norse got runners on in the sixth and seventh innings but couldn't convert them into runs.
Emileigh Cooper went 3-for-3 and scored a run to lead the Thundering Herd offense, which combined for 12 hits on the game. Zerkle and Green each had two hits and Greene scored a pair of runs. Dixon (29-11) pitched the final four innings in relief of Brittanie Fowler to pick up her second win of the day, striking out four.
Alyssa Enrique (0-8) gave up a pair of unearned runs and struck out one in the loss for the Norse.
NKU returns to Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend, traveling to face South Carolina Upstate in a three-game series. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's finale each have a 1 p.m. start time with all three games being broadcast live on ESPN3.
