HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball returns to the Great Lake State this weekend, taking on Detroit Mercy in a three-game series on Saturday-Sunday, April 8-9. The Norse will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch at noon ET, before wrapping up with a single game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU traveled to nearby Morehead State for a Tuesday doubleheader, splitting the outing with the Eagles. In game one, the Norse dropped a 4-2 decision while facing one of the nation's top strikeout pitchers. Zahrya McFarland drove in both of NKU's runs off a double in the sixth to knot the score at 2-2 before Morehead State plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to seal the win. The Norse bounced back with a 4-3 victory, marking the first time that NKU had defeated Morehead State since transitioning to Division I. McFarland added another RBI to her stat line for the day, and freshman Summer Libecap recorded the winning run after being driven in by a double from fellow rookie Ava Lawson.
 
SCOUTING DETROIT MERCY: The Titans hold a 6-24 record overall and have split League play at 3-3, but Detroit Mercy has played tight with many of its opponents as nine of its losses have come by way of a margin of two runs or fewer. In League play, the Titans are coming off a 1-2 outing at League favorite UIC, winning 7-4 in the second game of the series. The weekend will mark just the second time that UDM has played at home, playing the first 29 games of the season on the road before opening up the home slate with a 3-1 loss to Eastern Michigan on April 5.
  
Courtney Gilbert leads the Titans as the only player batting above a .300 clip, at .341. The sophomore shortstop also paces the team in slugging percentage (.482) and hits (29), while driving in 15 runs. As a team, Detroit Mercy is batting .245 on the season, which ranks sixth in the League. However, the Titans do well on the base path, leading the Horizon League in stolen bases with 40 thus far. In the circle, Detroit Mercy primarily uses its underclassman hurlers, Liz Murphy and Ashley Mauser. UDM's rookie pitcher, Murphy, has been credited with all six of the Titans' wins this season throughout 106.1 innings of work. She holds a 4.02 ERA and has struck out 38 batters, but has also walked 38.
           
The all-time series with the Titans only began last season when NKU joined the Horizon League, with UDM holding a 2-1 edge after claiming last year's series. All three games were shutouts, with Detroit Mercy claiming 4-0 and 2-0 victories while the Norse recorded a 4-0 win.