JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four Northern Kentucky University softball players posted three-hit games, but it was North Florida that came out on top of a pair of closely contested games in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Friday.
 
The Ospreys (23-19, 5-6 A-Sun) needed their last at bat to pull out the wins, taking Game 1 by a 3-1 score before winning an 11-10 slugfest in the nightcap. Dani Devlin collected five hits and drove in three runs across the doubleheader to lead the offense for the Norse, who fell to 5-22 and 1-7 in A-Sun play.
 
Game 1
 
Paige McQueen went 3-for-3 and Devlin added a pair of hits as the Norse fell by a 3-1 score in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader.
 
North Florida got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning. Lexi Taylor led things off with single to centerfield. After a sacrifice bunt, she came home on Shelby Duncan's double to make it a 1-0 game.
 
The Norse put a runner in scoring position in the fourth inning after walks to Kate Bartolovich and Ashlynn Roberts. Bartolovich was picked off second base and McQueen followed with an opposite-field single to put Roberts in scoring position. Nicolette Hayes lined out and Allie Conner struck out to end the scoring threat.
 
Devlin's one-out double put the Norse in business in the fifth inning, but a pair of flyouts stranded the Norse catcher at second base.
 
The Norse drew level in the sixth inning when Bartolovich led off by sending a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right-centerfield for her fourth home run of the season. Back-to-back singles from McQueen and Hayes gave the Norse the go-ahead run in scoring position, but the team couldn't cash it in.
 
A two-out walk to Taylor in the sixth set up the winner for North Florida, as Kelly Wilson homered to left-centerfield to give the Osprey's a 3-1 advantage.
 
NKU again had fireworks in the seventh. Straley was hit by a pitch and Devlin laced a single to the gap in right center to bring the go-ahead run to the plate with no outs. After Ferrante sacrificed both runners into scoring position, Roy grounded out and Bartolovich lined out to the shortstop to end the game.
 
Duncan led the Ospreys, who totaled six hits in the contest, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double. Taylor was 1-for-2 and scored a pair of runs. Kayla Goff (11-7) got the win in the circle, scattering three hits in two innings of scoreless relief. Kaylie Wallace gave up four hits and walked five in five innings over her start.
 
The loss fell to Roberts (3-8), who gave up three runs on five hits over four innings. Kelley Benhase threw two innings in relief, giving up one hit and striking out two.
 
Game 2
 
The scoring came fast, furious and regularly for both teams in the nightcap. Straley, Devlin and Allie Conner posted three-hit efforts as the Norse dropped an 11-10 decision.
 
Conner posted two triples and drove in three runs while Devlin added a home run and three RBIs of her own. Roberts chipped in with a 2-for-3 efforts including a double and two runs scored as the Norse pounded out 14 hits in the contest.
 
Shelby Duncan led the Ospreys' offense, going 2-for-5 with four RBIs while Wilson added three hits, stole two bases and scored three runs.
 
North Florida got the scoring started early, manufacturing a run in the first inning to take the advantage. Wilson drew an 11-pitch walk to lead off the bottom of the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored after a pair of groundouts.
 
The Norse responded immediately, notching doubles from Roberts and Sydney Ferrante in the top of the second inning to tie things back up at 1-1.
 
NKU cashed in a huge opportunity in the top of the fourth inning. After three straight walks loaded the bases with two outs, Allie Conner ripped a bases-clearing triple down the left field line to give the Norse a 4-1 advantage. KC Straley followed up with an infield single that scored Conner. Straley would then come in on Devlin's single up the middle to make it a 6-1 NKU lead.
 
North Florida scored in the bottom of the inning when Alex Arciola doubled down the left-field line to score Abby Tewey, who singled to lead off the inning, but the Norse got the run right back in the top of the fifth on a Roberts RBI single to score Bartolovich, who hit a two-out triple to start the rally.
 
The Ospreys cut into the Norse lead again in the bottom of the fifth. After a Wilson leadoff single, Duncan came through with a two-run home run. North Florida continued applying pressure, as Stacy McClelland singled and, after a fielder's choice and a groundout, Ashley Niesman brought her in on a groundout to the right side, making it 10-5.
 
Once again, the Norse answered in the top of the sixth as Conner again tripled, this time down the right-field line, on the first pitch of the frame. Straley followed up with an RBI single to center before Devlin launched a two-run homer, her ninth of the year, to extend the Norse lead to 10-5.
 
North Florida added three runs in the sixth, keyed by a two-run home run from McClelland to cut the lead to 10-8. In the seventh, Tewey led things off with an infield single before Niesman doubled down the left-field line to cut the Norse lead down to one. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases for Duncan, who ended the game with a two-run single to left field.
 
Janet Snipe (3-1) got the win for North Florida, the last of five Osprey pitchers in the contest. Snipe closed the game with two innings of two-hit relief. Alex Caudill (2-8) took the loss for NKU, giving up five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings.
 
The Norse will look to rebound on Saturday morning when the teams conclude their three-game series with an 11 a.m. first pitch. Links to live stats will be available at NKUNorse.com.