BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Northern Kentucky softball fell in its opening games of 2018 at the Campbell Invitational. The Norse first dropped a 9-4 decision to Morehead State, and then suffered a five-inning 13-4 setback to host Campbell. NKU starts the season at 0-2 while MSU advanced to 5-1 and Campbell moved to 5-3.
Game 1: Morehead State 9, NKU 4
At the Plate
- NKU kept pace with Morehead State in hits, with both teams registering nine.
- Madi Mulder and Josie Frazier both had multi-hit games in their collegiate debuts, with Mulder going 2-for-3 with one RBI while Frazier went 2-for-4.
- Ashley Rains and Taylor Brummell were used as pinch hitters in the sixth inning, both hitting RBI doubles.
- Hailey Whitmer also batted in a run in her career debut.
In the Circle
- Ashlynn Roberts got the start, pitching 3.0 innings. She was credited with the loss and falls to 0-1.
- Faith Howard tossed the second half of the game, striking out two batters and walking one.
Key Moments
- The Norse took the lead early with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Sydney Ferrante started off her senior season and opened up hitting for the Norse with a two-out double to left field.
- Mulder recorded an RBI in her first collegiate at-bat, driving in Ferrante. Whitmer then sent Lawson across the plate to put NKU up, 2-0.
- Morehead State answered back with five runs in the bottom of the second. The Eagles had loaded the bases before the Norse were able get two outs and were able to break through to take the lead. The Eagles followed up with two more runs in the third.
- Rains and Brummell had back-to-back two-out doubles in the top of the sixth to score Zahrya McFarland and Kara Meter, but the Norse were unable to come up with any runs in the seventh.
Game 2: Campbell 13, NKU 4 (5)
At the Plate
- Campbell out-hit the Norse, 12-6.
- Mulder was involved in all four of NKU's runs, driving in three while scoring one herself. She went 2-for-3 at the plate for the second-straight game.
- Brummell also recorded an RBI in both contests, going 1-for-2.
- Ferrante had her second double of the season and added a run to her stat line.
In the Circle
- Howard got her first career start, pitching 2.1 innings. She absorbed the loss and falls to 0-1 on the season.
- Taylor Ginther came on in relief, tossing 1.2 innings.
Key Moments
- Campbell used six runs in the third and five in the fourth to jump ahead of the Norse, and a two-run homer in the fifth to incur the run rule.
- The Norse had two runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings. Ferrante doubled to center field and was driven in by Mulder off a single to right field. Mulder then scored NKU's second run off a single from Brummell.
- Kailey Rossiter led off the fifth as a pinch hitter and reached base off a bunt. She was driven in by Mulder, along with Josie Frazier, for the final NKU runs of the contest.
Norse Notes
- With her two doubles, Ferrante moves into NKU's all-time top-10 list for the category. She is tied for ninth in program history with 32 doubles, along with Dani Devlin (2014-17) and Kerry McKee (1998-2001).
- Brummell, Ferrante, Mulder and Whitmer all recorded at least one hit in both games. Mulder was the only Norse to have back-to-back multi-hit outings.
- NKU drops to 16-29 in the all-time series against Morehead State and 0-2 all-time against Campbell.
- All four of NKU's freshmen made their career debuts. Mulder got the start at first base and Frazier held down second base, while Whitmer appeared as the designated player in both contests. Howard also saw time in the circle in both games.
Up Next
- NKU finishes up the Campbell Invitational tomorrow, starting with Bucknell at 9 a.m. The Norse then take a short break before finishing up the tournament with a rematch against Campbell at 2 p.m.
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