CLEARWATER, Fla. – Northern Kentucky softball won its opening game of the day against Seton Hall in an 11-7 offensive showing before dropping its second game to Bethune-Cookman, 8-2. The Norse move to 10-5 on the season, while Seton Hall dipped to 11-11 and Bethune-Cookman advanced to 12-14.
Game 1: NKU 11, Seton Hall 7
At the Plate
- NKU posted a 15-9 advantage in hits.
- Sydney Ferrante had what could only be described as a monster game at the dish. The senior third baseman went 3-for-3 with five RBI courtesy of two doubles and a home run.
- Josie Frazier and Madi Mulder also registered three hits, with Frazier going 3-for-4 with four runs scored and one run batted in while Mulder was 3-for-5 with four RBI.
In the Circle
- Ashlynn Roberts started for the Norse, pitching the first four innings as well as the final two outs of the contest. She struck out three batters and walked two, only allowing one run. She moves to 3-2 on the season.
- Faith Howard added 2.1 innings of work with two strikeouts and no batters walked.
Scoring Summary
- Mulder opened up scoring in the first inning with a double to right field, her fourth of the season, to drive in Frazier and Ferrante.
- The Pirates scored on an error in the bottom of the frame to close NKU's lead to one run.
- The Norse plated two more in the second, which started with a leadoff single from Toree Stalter. After being advanced on a sac bunt, Frazier delivered the first triple of the season with a blast to right center and drove Stalter in for the score. Frazier was then scored by Ferrante on a sac fly for a 4-1 NKU advantage.
- Ferrante drove in two more runs in the fourth inning with her fifth double of the year. Alexis McDaniel and Frazier crossed the plate to give the Norse a 6-1 edge.
- In the top of the sixth, Ferrante had yet another double to advance Frazier to third base. The pair was driven in off a single through the right side by Mulder.
- The Norse added three more runs in the final frame. Ava Lawson started things off with a double to center field, and was driven in by pinch hitter Morgan Glover. Ferrante then stepped up to the plate and gave NKU its first home run of the season.
- Seton Hall would not go down without a fight, adding six runs off a three-run homer, a two-run homer and an RBI single.
Game 2: Bethune-Cookman 8, NKU 2
At the Plate
- Ferrante had another successful outing at the plate, going 3-for-3 while drawing a walk.
- Bethune-Cookman out-hit the Norse, 13-9. The Norse were able to get runners on the bases, but left 13 stranded over the course of the game.
- Brummell registered her first triple of the season and the second in as many games for the Norse.
In the Circle
- Taylor Ginther got the start, pitching 5.2 innings. The lefty hurler struck out one and walked one, moving to 2-2 with the loss.
- Howard pitched the final .1 innings, surrendering no hits and walking one.
Scoring Summary
- A solo home run from Ryan Jackson in the bottom of the third gave Bethune-Cookman the first run of the contest. The Wildcats added an RBI single in the fourth to extend out to a 2-0 lead before NKU retired two batters and caught one runner stealing to end the frame.
- A two-out triple, followed by a single allowed the Wildcats to plate one more run in the fifth.
- McFarland led the sixth off with a double to left field and was later scored off an RBI ground out by Kara Meter. Stalter sped towards home plate on a passed ball to get the Norse within one run, 3-2.
- Jackson secured the Wildcats' lead with another homer, this time a two-out, two-run round-tripper. Another RBI single and two scores off wild pitches extended the lead to 8-2.
Norse Notes
- Just 14 games into the season, NKU reached 10 wins by far and away the fastest that it has in the Division-I era. Last year, it took NKU 35 games to hit the 10-win mark, and in 2016 it was 44 games.
- Ferrante moved up to fifth on NKU's all-time career doubles list (38) and seventh in career home runs (13).
- Ferrante recorded two doubles against Seton Hall, making her the first Norse to record a pair of doubles in a single game this season. The last time the feat was accomplished was on April 30, 2017, when Taylor Brummell had a pair against Green Bay.
- She also had five RBI in the victory. Ferrante was also the last player to have five or more RBI in a contest when she broke the Division I-era record with six against Youngstown State on April 13, 2017.
- Entering the game, Ferrante ranked seventh nationally with three sacrifice flies before adding one more to her count.
- NKU had 15 hits against Seton Hall, making it the first time since March 12, 2016 that the Norse had hit that mark. The feat was also accomplished in Clearwater in a 10-inning, one-run setback to Fairfield.
- The Norse clubbed four doubles with Lawson and Mulder adding to Ferrante's pair, marking the most doubles for NKU in a game this season. NKU had previously recorded three against Morehead State and Eastern Michigan.
Up Next
- NKU wraps up its time in the Sunshine State tomorrow when the Norse face Iona at 9 a.m. ET.
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