HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball has a quick turnaround in Florida, as the team will play two midweek single games before heading to its next tournament in Clearwater. NKU faces Binghamton first on Tuesday, March 6, followed by Loyola Chicago on Wednesday, March 7. Both games are scheduled for an 11 a.m. first pitch.
LAST TIME OUT: Coupled with two wins at the end of the Campbell Invitational, the Norse had their first five-game winning streak since moving to Division I. NKU went 4-1 at the Madeira Beach Invitational, winning against Incarnate Word, La Salle, Eastern Michigan and Buffalo. The last time NKU had won five games in-a-row was on March 18-24, 2012. Freshman
Madi Mulder had a tremendous outing, leading the team in hits with a 10-for-20 appearance at the plate while driving in seven runs for the Norse.
Toree Stalter also batted for a high percentage at .545, going 6-for-11 and scoring four of NKU's 22 runs over the weekend, while
Kailey Rossiter scored six runs to pace the team. In the circle,
Ashlynn Roberts posted a 1.70 ERA, but it was
Taylor Ginther who had an unblemished 3-0 record. Ginther closed out the tournament with the first complete game of her career with a 5-2 win over Buffalo.
SWEEPS WEEK: In addition to a 4-1 record at the Madeira Beach Invitational,
Madi Mulder and
Taylor Ginther were named the Horizon League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on March 5. It marked the first time since the 2005 season that NKU had taken home both weekly awards. Additionally, Mulder was the first freshman to garner distinction this season in the league and Ginther was NKU's first pitcher of the week since Emily Schwaeble on April 23, 2012.
SEASON NOTABLES: NKU finds itself among the Horizon League's top statistics in several categories early on in the season. The Norse rank second in the league in scoring, with 4.22 runs per game, batting average (.286), doubles per game (1.33) and double plays per game (.44). Additionally, NKU ranks in the top-100 nationally in all four categories, including No. 49 in double plays. Individually,
Kailey Rossiter tops the Horizon League and ranks 22nd nationally with 1.14 runs scored per game, and
Madi Mulder is first in the league and 36th nationally with 1.22 RBI a contest. The pair also ranks in the top-50 nationally, as well as second and third in the league, with batting averages of .485 and .474, respectively.
Sydney Ferrante has also been having a stellar senior season so far with a league-leading .33 doubles per game, as well as three sacrifice flies on the year to pace the Horizon League. Finally,
Josie Frazier and
Ava Lawson rank in the top-20 nationally in sacrifice hits per game at .44 and .33 respectively, and Frazier is additionally the toughest player to strike out in the Horizon League.
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON: The Bearcats are at 2-4 this season with wins over Loyola Chicago and Delaware. Senior outfielder Jessica Rutherford has been the team's hits leader, batting .400 with eight hits and five runs scored, but Binghamton has relied more on the bats of Kassidy Seary and Kate Richard to send players across the plate. Seary has six RBI on six hits this year, while Richard has seven runs batted in on seven hits. On the pitching staff, Chelsea Howard and Rayn Gibson see most of the action in the circle with both pitching 13 innings this season, but it has been Howard who has helped the Bearcats pick up both wins this season. She sports a 4.15 ERA and has struck out eight batters, but has also walked 17 this year. Gibson holds a 5.27 ERA with six batters fanned.
SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO: NKU will be the third Horizon League member that the Ramblers face this year, previously picking up wins over Wright State, 9-1, and IUPUI, 4-0. Loyola Chicago has a strong core of batters who have been registering hits, led by Allyson Ivey and Shannon McGee with 16 apiece. Ivey leads the team in RBI, with 10, while Brooke Wilson has sent eight runners home this season. The Ramblers have kept their opponents' runs low this season thanks to a 2.57 ERA from the pitching staff, led by Kiley Jones. The junior holds a 1.62 ERA and a 6-2 record this season, including two shutout victories. In 49.2 innings of work, Jones has fanned 35 batters and holds opponents to a .219 batting average.
