Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The NKU softball team (5-38, 1-16 A-Sun) fell to conference rival USC Upstate (39-8, 17-2 A-Sun) 8-0 and 9-1 in a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
Game 1
 
The Spartans got the scoring started quickly, plating four runs in the first inning. Hayley Reinfeld led off with a single and Aly Schnieder followed with a double to set up Shellie Robinson's three-run homer. Kendall Settlemyre followed with a solo shot to push Upstate out to a 4-0 lead.
 
Settlemyre clubbed her second home run of the game in the bottom of the second, scoring Schneider, who reached on a one-out walk, to make it 6-0.  The Spartans extended the lead to 7-0 after three consecutive walks loaded the bases and prompted a pitching change, as coach Kathy Stewart went with Kelley Benhase, whose wild pitch allowed Dana Landers to score.  Benhase settled down from there, getting a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to end the threat.
 
Benhase allowed just two hits in her 2.2 innings of relief, with the second being a solo home run to Schneider in the sixth inning to end the game by run-rule.
 
Lexi Schubert (28-5) picked up her first no-hitter of the season, striking out six Norse and allowing just a walk to Allie Conner in the sixth inning as her only base runner of the game.  The loss fell to NKU starter Alex Caudill, who moved to 2-14 on the year.
 
Game 2
 
After two and a half scoreless inning, the Spartans broke the 0-0 stalemate scoring four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Lindsey  Greeson got on base with a two-bagger. Ashlynn Roberts then walked the next batter, Reinfeld, putting runners on first and second.
 
Schenider then stepped to the plate, hitting a three-run homer to center field giving the Spartans a 3-0 advantage. Two batters later, Settlemyer doubled down the left field line. Landers followed with a single advancing Settlemyer to third. Settlemyer, then stole home pushing the Upstate lead to 4-0.
 
The Spartans later tallied three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Beasley homered to left to start the bottom half extending the Spartan lead to 5-0. Chyeene Griffin followed with a single to second. Jaeger then reached on a fielder's choice but Griffin was thrown out a second for the first out of the inning. The next batter, Greeson, homered to right, scoring Jaeger and tacking on two more Upstate runs.
 
The second homerun of the inning prompted the Norse to make a pitching change going to Benhase in relief. Benhase was able to settle in, later forcing the Spartans into a grounded out and foul out to get out of the inning.
 
NKU got on the board in the top of the fifth. With one out, Kate Bartolovich reached first on a throwing error by the shortstop. Paige McQueen then grounded out to third, advancing McQueen to second with two outs. Ashlynn Roberts followed with a single to center field, deep enough to score Bartolovich from second, cutting the Spartan lead to six. Nicolette Hayes then singled to the pitcher moving Roberts to second. The Norse inserted Emma Coons to pinch run for Roberts. The next batter, Allie Conner, singled to left, but the Norse threat came to an end when Coons was thrown out at home by the left fielder.
 
The game came to an end it the bottom of the sixth by run-rule, when Upstate pushed its lead to 9-1 following a two-run single by Schneider. Shubert (29-5) got the win for the Spartans allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts. Roberts (3-14) took the loss for NKU after surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits.
 
The Norse return to action for the final game of a three-game set with USC Upstate on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Links to live stats can be found at NKUNorse.com and live in-game updates will be available via @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.