HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball completes its spring break swing in the Palmetto State with the Holy City Showdown, hosted by the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The Norse will not play any opponent twice, taking on five different foes from March 10-12. On the opening day of the tournament, NKU squares off with UMass Lowell at 1:30 p.m. before taking on the host Cougars at 8 p.m. Saturday pits the Norse against RV/RV North Carolina at 1:30 p.m. before a 6 p.m. first pitch against Robert Morris. NKU then concludes the tournament on Sunday with a 9:30 a.m. contest with Chattanooga.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU had a mid-week single game against Coastal Carolina on March 8, going extra innings against the Chanticleers before a walk-off home run gave CCU the 2-1 victory. Junior infielder Sydney Ferrante kept her hitting and reached base streak alive, extending to nine games and scoring NKU's lone run when Kate Bartolovich drove her in on a single. The Norse also had a strong performance out of junior pitcher Ashlynn Roberts, who tossed four innings with five strikeouts, a new career best.
 
SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL: The River Hawks have seen limited action with just eight games played, posting a 3-5 record in that span with four of their five losses being five-inning setbacks. UMass Lowell has not touched the field in the month of March, having played their last tournament Feb. 24-25. NKU and the River Hawks share a common opponent this year, as UMass Lowell claimed a 10-2 win over North Dakota on Feb. 25, the same team that NKU claimed a 6-3 victory over on March 4 for the first win of the 2017 campaign. Tori Alcorn has been a key factor in UMass Lowell's scoring as she leads the team with seven RBI on seven hits. Alcorn is hitting .304 on the year, and the River Hawks have just one player hitting at a .400 clip in Marianne Sparacia. In the circle, UMass Lowell's pitching corps has a 7.00 ERA, with Lauren Ramirez holding the lowest average at a 5.75 ERA through 24.1 innings pitched.
 
SCOUTING COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: The Cougars sit at an even 8-8 on the year, most recently falling to No. 2/4 Auburn in consecutive games as the Tigers took claimed a 14-0 five-inning shutout on March 4 and an 8-0 five-inning shutout on March 5. At the plate, the College of Charleston has five players who have recorded double-digit hits this season, and that same five has also driven in six-or-more runs in 2017. Taylor Belfiore leads the team with a .408 batting average, 20 hits, and nine RBI. Four pitchers have made consistent appearances in the circle, led by Brittany Violette with a 1.83 ERA throughout 30.2 innings pitched, holding teams to .162.
 
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, and sit at 16-5 on the season. North Carolina has also started its conference play, sweeping Pittsburgh on March 3-5. The team is coming off a surprising loss to UNC Greensboro, in which the Spartans snapped North Carolina's 11-game winning streak with a 6-3 upset. North Carolina returns All-ACC First Team honoree Kendra Lynch, who has driven in a team-high 27 runs and holds a .433 batting average and a nearly flawless .925 slugging percentage. Lynch ranks third nationally n total bases, with 62, and her 27 RBI are good for fifth in the country. She has leads the ACC and is seventh nationally in home runs with eight to her name this year. Lynch has also appeared in 10 games in the circle for the Tar Heels and pitched 40.2 innings with 20 strikeouts, but North Carolina's main weapon is Brittany Pickett with 50 strikeouts throughout 55.2 innings, holding teams to a .247 clip. 
 
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS: The Colonials hold a 3-12 record, most recently coming off an 11-inning loss to UNC Wilmington, 3-2. Robert Morris has struggled in the preseason, hit heavy by the graduation of four of its league-leading six All-Northeastern Conference honorees from 2016. RMU does return its top hitter in Jordan Gurganus for her senior year, and the catcher has not disappointed in her capstone season, hitting a blistering .509 to rank 17th in the nation. In the circle, Laura Coulter and Madison Riggle have seen the most time for the Colonials with 40.0 and 31.1 innings pitched, respectively. Coulter has thrown 21 strikeouts, but has also walked 18 batters, and both batters hold an ERA above 5.0.
 
SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA: The Mocs enter the tournament looking to snap a four-game losing skid, falling to Notre Dame in a 9-1 affair in the latest outing, and hold a 6-13 overall record on the year. Ashley Conner, who was honored as a Southern Conference All-Freshman team member, leads the team with a batting average of .420 while also pacing the team in hits, with 21, RBI, with 15, and boasts a .720 slugging percentage. Three pitchers have appeared for the Mocs, with Payten Price and Alex Connell spending the most time in the circle. Price holds a 4.20 ERA and has hurled 54 strikeouts, while Connell has been clutch for Chattanooga with three saves to rank fourth nationally in the category.