NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kate Bartolovich pounded out three hits and Alina Maher added two more, including a two-run home run, as the Northern Kentucky University softball team dropped a 5-4 decision against East Tennessee State on Day 2 of the Tiger Classic, hosted by Tennessee State.
 
Bartolovich drove in one run and scored another as the Norse (0-3) combined for 11 hits on the day from eight different batters.
 
After ETSU (3-3) plated three runs in the top of the first inning, NKU chipped away at the lead beginning in the second. Bartolovich beat out an infield single to set up Maher's two-run bomb to center field, her second in as many days, to cut the Buccaneers' lead to one at 3-2. Bartolovich then tied things up in the bottom of the third with an RBI-single to right-center field to score Dani Devlin, who walked to lead off the inning.
 
An RBI-single by Kelsey Smith in the top of the fifth gave ETSU back the lead, and Samantha Carpenter picked up an insurance run with an RBI-single of her own.
 
Devlin cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, ripping a run-scoring single down the left-field line to score Sydney Ferrante, whose infield single started the rally. A leadoff single by Maher in the bottom of the seventh inning followed by a sacrifice bunt from Paige McQueen put the tying run in scoring position, but a pair of groundouts closed out the victory for ETSU.
 
ETSU had four players post two-hit games, including Smith and Carpenter. Madison Boyd added a triple in her two-hit effort and Bethany Coward claimed an RBI-double. The win went to Lindsey Fadnek (1-1), who gave up one run on five hits and struck out five in 3.2 innings of relief. Sharlene Godoy pitched a scoreless seventh inning to pick up her second save of the season.
 
The loss fell to Charlie Nolen (0-2), who scattered seven hits and allowed just one earned run.
 
NKU will close out the Tiger Classic on Sunday, taking on Butler and Evansville in back-to-back games beginning at 11:45 a.m. Central (12:45 p.m. Eastern).