HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball makes its final road trip of the regular season this weekend when the Norse take on Cleveland State on Friday and Saturday, April 27-28. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and the series concludes with a noon doubleheader on Saturday. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN3 with streaming available on computers, tablets, smart phones and streaming devices through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse won their second series in the Horizon League this season, downing Green Bay at home, 2-1. The Phoenix took the series opener, 6-3, but the Norse rallied back on the second day with a pair of one-run victories in both ends of a doubleheader.
Ava Lawson and
Zahrya McFarland each drove in two runs over the weekend to lead the Norse at the plate, and the NKU pitching staff had a strong outing in Saturday's wins.
Ashlynn Roberts pitched a complete game to lead the Norse to a 2-1 win in the front end of the doubleheader, fanning 11 Phoenix in the process. She also picked up her first save of the year in the second game, which had
Taylor Ginther pitch the Norse to a 4-3 victory in five innings of work.
SEASON NOTABLES: NKU finds itself among the Horizon League's top statistics in several categories. The Norse ranks second in the League in batting average (.287), while ranking third in scoring (3.97 runs per game), ERA (3.87) and slugging percentage (.364). Individually,
Sydney Ferrante ranks second in the League and is No. 89 nationally with .89 RBI per game and tops the nation with seven sacrifice flies. Her .378 batting average and .597 slugging percentage both rank fourth in the League. Since entering League play,
Ava Lawson has stepped up to lead the Norse in batting average (.413), slugging percentage (.739), RBI (16) and home runs (4), ranking in the top-five of Horizon League players in those categories.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings sit at the bottom of the Horizon League standings with a 3-9 mark in League play, most recently falling to Oakland on Tuesday by a 16-2 count. The series with the Golden Grizzlies resumes today at noon, which will give Cleveland State five games played in three days before the weekend's end. Riley Ries leads the team this season with a .308 batting average and 29 RBI, and has carried her success into the Horizon League slate as she sits at 10th in the standings with a .615 slugging percentage. Emery Sipe has upped her play since the League season began, slugging .650 and clubbing three homers to match Ries' count against Horizon opponents. In the circle, Kristin Catalano holds the third-lowest ERA (1.91) and fifth-lowest opponent batting average (.231) in Horizon League games, but Mackenzie Joecken has been the team's go-to hurler on a staff that has used six different pitchers this season. Joecken leads the team with 34 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched in League play, but also holds a 6.93 ERA.
