CLEARWATER, Fla. – Northern Kentucky softball started out the USF Under Armour Showcase with a pair of wins, first downing Robert Morris in a back-and-forth game before walking off with a 6-5 victory. The Norse then defeated Rider, 5-3, to move to 9-4 overall.
Game 1: NKU 6, Robert Morris 5
At the Plate
In the Circle
- Ashlynn Roberts started for the Norse, tossing 3.1 innings with four strikeouts, allowing three hits.
- Faith Howard took over in the fourth, pitching the final 3.2 innings. The rookie picked up her first career win, fanning five batters and walking just one.
Scoring Summary
- McFarland was the first to score for the Norse. McFarland singled to shortstop before stealing second. She was driven in by Stalter to give the Norse a 1-0 lead in the second.
- NKU took a 2-0 lead in the third when Meter entered the contest and doubled to left center, scoring Brummell.
- Robert Morris knotted things up at 2-2 with a two-run homer in the top of the fourth, but the Norse answered back with a run in the bottom of the frame when Rossiter took advantage of an error to score.
- The Colonials took their first lead of the game with steady scoring, plating a run in the top of the fifth and sixth.
- Brummell did not let RMU hold the lead for long, singling with bases loaded to drive in both Ferrante and Frazier.
- Robert Morris mustered one more run in the final inning, but NKU was able to prevent extra innings in the bottom of the seventh. Stalter got on base with a walk, followed by what would have been a fielder's choice with Rossiter at the plate. However, an error on the throw opened up a clear path to home plate for Stalter, who gave the Norse the game-winning run.
Game 2: NKU 5, Rider 3
At the Plate
- NKU had its second 10-hit game of the season, besting the Broncs 11-8 at the plate.
- Alexis McDaniel and Brummell both went 2-for-3 from the dish, while Madi Mulder and McFarland were 2-for-4. McFarland drove in two runs, while Frazier, Ferrante and Brummell contributed one each.
In the Circle
- Taylor Ginther started in the circle, pitching 3.1 innings with two strikeouts and one batter walked.
- Faith Howard came on in the fourth inning, tossing the final 3.2 innings of the contest. She also struck out two batters and walked one, allowing just three hits. Howard picked up her second win of both the day and her career, moving to 2-1 on the season.
Scoring Summary
- NKU had two runs in the first with a pair of two-out RBI singles from Brummell and McFarland. Brummell opened up scoring to send Ferrante home on a single through the left while McFarland sent one to center field, scoring Mulder.
- Frazier sent Stalter home with a single up the middle, followed immediately by a single from Ferrante to get Frazier across the plate in the second.
- McFarland notched her second RBI of the game with a single to right field and give NKU a 5-0 lead, scoring Summer Libecap.
- Rider got on base with an error in the bottom of the third and an RBI single to left field prevented the shutout, and followed it up with a run in both the fourth and sixth.
- Howard struck out two of Rider's batters in the final frame to prevent any more runs and held on for the 5-3 win.
Norse Notes
- NKU has begun its second winning streak of the season, with three in-a-row. The Norse previously won five-straight between Feb. 17 and March 3.
- Mulder notched her team-leading eighth multi-hit game of the season. McFarland and Brummell had their second, and McDaniel had her first.
- The game versus Rider also marked McFarland's second multi-RBI game of the season, while Brummell had her first multi-RBI showing against Robert Morris.
- Brummell and Ferrante both have active five-game hitting streaks, and Brummell has reached base in six-straight contests.
Up Next
- NKU has two games tomorrow to continue play at the Under Armour Showcase. The Norse face Seton Hall first at 9 a.m. ET, followed by an 11:15 a.m. first pitch against Bethune-Cookman.
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