HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball dropped the Horizon League opener to Valparaiso on Friday afternoon, as the Crusaders used a five-run seventh inning to surge ahead for a 7-4 victory. With the loss, NKU drops to 5-18 overall and starts League play at 0-1, while Valpo advances to 13-7 (1-0 HL).
At the Plate
- NKU clubbed eight hits, tying Valpo's hit count.
- Senior catcher Dani Devlin went 2-for-4 at the plate, knocking in her fifth home run and ninth double of the season. Devlin leads the team in both categories.
- Senior utility player Paige McQueen also had a multi-hit game for NKU, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.
- Junior 2B Taylor Brummell drove in the third of NKU's earned runs.
In the Circle
- Junior Ashlynn Roberts tossed 6.1 innings, striking out a career-high 11 batters while walking one. The last time an NKU pitcher had 10-or-more strikeouts was on April 19, 2012, when Emily Schwaeble fanned 10 against Miami (Ohio).
Key Moments
- The first three runs of the contest were scored by way of home runs. Valpo's Jorgi Calombaris put the Crusaders on the board with a homer in the top of the fourth, and Devlin answered right back as she knocked one out of the park in the bottom of the frame. The Crusaders went up 2-1 in the fifth with another home run courtesy of Lanie Callaghan.
- NKU tied it up again in the fifth inning with bases loaded and Devlin at the plate. A passed ball allowed the runners to advance, sending Alexis McDaniel across the plate.
- The Norse took the lead in the sixth inning when Zahrya McFarland doubled down the left line and was driven in by Brummel.
- Up 3-2 with an inning to go, the Norse were unable to fend off a five-run barrage by the Crusaders. NKU scored one more in the bottom of the inning as McQueen doubled to drive in Kambra Crist, but the Norse fell in a final 7-4 decision.
Up Next
- NKU finishes off the series with Valparaiso with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon at Grein Softball Field.
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