HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –
Dani Devlin hit a pair of home runs among her four hits on Friday as the Northern Kentucky University softball team dropped both ends of an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader against Jacksonville by scores of 8-3 and 4-2.
With the results, NKU falls to 6-41 overall and 1-19 in A-Sun play entering Saturday's season finale.
Game 1 Devlin got back in the swing of things in the opener, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.
Katelyn Roy added an RBI double and
KC Straley scored two runs and stole three bases.
Straley used her speed to put the Norse on the board in the first inning. After drawing a walk, Straley stole second base and took third on a wild pitch before Devlin brought her in on a sacrifice fly.
Sydney Ferrante kept the inning going with a single up the middle and scored on Roy's double to the gap in right-centerfield.
The Dolphins struck back for four runs in the third inning. A leadoff double by Jordan Daniels and a single by Brooke Hardy plated JU's first run of the game. Victoria Brown was then hit by a pitch before a passed ball put two in scoring position for Lexi Ballard, who roped a single into left to tie the score. Ashley Simon's infield single loaded the bases for Emily Sanchez, who gave Jacksonville the lead with a two-run single to left field. Daniels came back up in the inning with the bases loaded and was hit by a pitch to force in another run, making it 5-2 by inning's end.
Jacksonville put the first two batters on base in the fourth inning to set up Lexi Ballard's RBI single, scoring Brown. Baker followed up by scoring when a pickoff throw from Devlin sailed up the third base line. The Norse responded in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a one-out single up the middle from
Alina Maher.
Allie Conner ripped a double into the right-field corner to put two in scoring position for Straley, who rolled a single deep into the hole at shortstop, allowing Maher to score and cutting the deficit to 7-3.
It was dueling home runs in the sixth inning as Simon added a solo bomb in the top half and Devlin followed with a two-run jack in the bottom to reach the 8-5 final score.
Ballard led the way offensively for Jacksonville, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Simon went 2-for-4 with a home run and Hardy went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Brown (18-17) got the win in the circle, giving up five runs on eight hits and struck out four in 6.2 innings.
The loss fell to
Ashlynn Roberts (4-15), who surrendered four earned runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings.
Alex Caudill was effective in relief, scattering four hits in four innings.
Game 2 Devlin again was a force offensively, picking up a pair of hits, including a double and a home run, as the Norse fell by a 4-2 score.
Paige McQueen, Maher and Conner each picked up base hits as well for the Norse, who totaled five hits and left five runners stranded.
A two-out rally in the top of the first inning got the scoring started for the Dolphins, as Ballard and Simon ripped back-to-back doubles to centerfield to plate the game's first run. Sanchez followed with a single up the middle to score Simon and increase the lead. Devlin countered in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run to straightaway center to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.
NKU tied things up in the second inning.
Paige McQueen got the rally started with a one-out double, advancing to third on a flyout and scoring when Dolphins' catcher Brooke Smith attempted to throw behind McQueen, but the throw bounced off the runner's back and into foul territory, allowing McQueen to score and make it 2-2.
Emily Sanchez regained the Dolphins lead in the top of the third inning with a solo shot down the left-field line, her eighth home run of the year.
The Norse threatened in the fifth inning after Maher led things off with a double on an 0-2 pitch. Hayes followed up by working a walk. Conner reached on a fielder's choice when her bunt attempt took Maher off the base paths, and Straley moved Hayes to third on another fielder's choice, putting runners at the corners before the Norse speedster was caught stealing to end the inning.
Jacksonville took advantage to tack on some insurance in the top of the sixth. Kristen Griffith's one-out double got things started before Charli Bradshaw singled up the middle to put runners at the corners for Hardy, who grounded out to second base to score Griffith and make it a 4-2 game.
The Norse had their chances to even the score late. Devlin led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Ferrante, but pop flies from Roy and Bartolovich ended the Norse threat in the inning. McQueen was hit by a pitch to open the seventh and
Allie Conner looped a single into left field to bring the winning run to the plate, but Straley grounded out to third base to end the game.
Blaise Brooks (1-0) got the win in her first start of the season, surrendering two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out four in 4.2 innings. Taylor Rossman pitched the final 2.1 innings to pick up her second save of the season.
Alyssa Enrique (0-11) took the loss, striking out three Dolphins while giving up three earned runs on eight hits.
The Norse and Dolphins will close out the regular season on Saturday at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to get to the field early as the Norse will honor the seniors playing their final regular-season game in a pregame ceremony.
