CLEARWATER, Fla. – Kate Bartolovich collected five hits, including two home runs, to help lead the Northern Kentucky University softball team to a doubleheader sweep over Wagner on Tuesday afternoon at the Moore Softball Complex.
 
The Norse needed eight innings to fight off a comeback attempt by the Seahawks in Game 1, taking a 4-3 victory. In Game 2, the NKU offense exploded for 21 hits in a 15-9 victory to complete the sweep. With the wins, NKU now stands 5-10 on the season.
 
Game 1 – NKU 4, Wagner 3 (8 innings)
 
Paige McQueen picked up two hits for the Norse and claimed an RBI while the Norse pitching staff put together a strong performance in the opener.
 
After Wagner (5-7) got the scoring started in the top of the first inning with a solo shot from Karen Prihoda, Bartolovich answered with a bomb of her own to level the scoring. The Norse then strung together a two-run fourth inning, led off by Bartolovich, who reached on an error by the Wagner third baseman.
 
Jordan Harbacek sacrificed the Norse third baseman into scoring position for Zharya McFarland, who pushed an RBI-double down the line in right field. McQueen followed up with an RBI single to right center, plating McFarland to give NKU a 3-1 lead.
 
A two-run homer by Maddie Marable leveled the score in the top of the sixth inning and ended the day for Norse starter Charlie Nolen, who picked up three strikeouts without a walk in her five-inning appearance. Harbacek came in and, after surrendering back-to-back singles, settled down to retire the side without further damage.
 
Harbacek retired the final nine batters she faced in order, including the eighth inning with a runner placed on second due to the international tiebreaker rule.
 
The winning run came across for NKU in the bottom of the eighth. After Alina Maher was placed on second to start the inning, Bartolovich bunted to sacrifice the runner to third, but an errant throw allowed Maher to score and win the game for the Norse.
 
Harbacek (2-2) picked up a pair of strikeouts in the relief appearance to claim the win in the circle. Morgan Brown took the loss for Wagner, giving up four runs on six hits and striking out seven in the complete-game effort.
 
Game 2 – NKU 15, Wagner 9
 
Four different Norse players collected three or more hits as the Norse and Seahawks battled in a slugfest, but a six-run seventh inning put the game away for the Norse.
 
Bartolovich went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs, while Nicolette Hays added a triple and a stolen base with two runs and two RBIs in a 4-for-4 effort.
 
Dani Devlin went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and a game-high four RBIs, while Harbacek chipped in a 3-for-4 showing as well.
 
Again, Wagner got the scoring started in the first inning, as Meghan Moore rapped an RBI double through the left side to score Brianna Tredway and make it a 1-0 game. The Norse responded with four runs in the second inning. Three-straight singles to lead off the inning led to NKU's first run, as Devlin singled on a squeeze bunt attempt to plate Bartolovich and tie the game. McQueen followed with a sacrifice fly before Hayes tripled in Devlin. Hayley Curtis closed out the scoring rally with an RBI groundout as NKU took a 4-1 lead.
 
It was a short-lived advantage, however, as Wagner came back for five runs in the bottom of the second to retake the lead at 6-4, but the Norse were not done. RBI doubles from Bartolovich, Devlin and McQueen put NKU back in front in the top of the third inning at 7-6.
 
After Wagner scored a pair in the bottom of the third, Bartolovich launched a two-run homer, scoring Harbacek to make it a 9-8 Norse advantage. Wagner manufactured a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, tying things back up at 9-9.
 
Hayes gave the Norse the lead for good in the top of the seventh with an RBI single. McFarland's two-run double gave NKU the necessary cushion to close out the game.
 
Nolen (3-4) got the win for the Norse in relief, scattering five hits over four innings. The loss fell to Brown (2-4), who gave up eight runs on 12 hits in 4.1 innings of relief.
 
The Norse, winners of four of their last five games, return to action tomorrow, taking on Butler and Penn in back-to-back games in Clearwater. First pitch between NKU and Butler is set for 1 p.m.