CHICAGO – Northern Kentucky softball exited the postseason on Wednesday evening, falling to Wright State and Youngstown State on the opening day of the Horizon League Championship. The Norse suffered a 4-0 setback to the Raiders before falling to the Penguins, 4-2, in the elimination game. NKU finishes the year at 24-22, making 2018 the first winning season in the Division I era.
Game 1: Wright State 4, NKU 0
At the Plate
In the Circle
- Ashlynn Roberts fell to 11-8 on the season, pitching 5.1 innings with six strikeouts and one batter walked.
- Taylor Ginther tossed 0.2 innings, allowing no hits or walks.
Scoring Summary
- The first five innings proved to be a battle between Roberts and the 2018 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, Ashley Sharp. Both hurlers fanned their opponents quickly with multiple innings featuring batters retiring in order.
- Wright State got hot in the sixth, taking a lead off a pair of two-run home runs to plate all of the runs the contest would see.
Game 2: Youngstown State 4, NKU 2
At the Plate
- Youngstown State held a slight edge in hits, 7-6.
- Six different Norse recorded a hit in the contest.
- Brummell, Mulder and Whitmer added a hit apiece in the second contest of the day, while Ava Lawson, Josie Frazier and Zahrya McFarland also had a hit to their name.
- Brummell and Whitmer drove in NKU's runs, both going 1-for-3.
In the Circle
- Taylor Ginther got the start and threw 4.1 innings, striking out two batters and walking none. She moves to 9-11 with the loss.
- Roberts pitched the final 1.2 innings, surrendering just one hit and one walk while fanning one Penguin.
Scoring Summary
- After an hour and a half weather delay, Youngstown State went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI triple.
- NKU tied it up in the fourth with Mulder reaching base on a fielding error and advancing off a McFarland single to left center. Whitmer singled to second base to drive Mulder in for the score.
- The Norse took the lead in the fifth, beginning with a leadoff single form Lawson, advancing on a sac bunt by Kailey Rossiter. Brummell singled to center field to drive her in.
- The Penguins used a pair of fielding errors in the fifth to plate three runs and take the lead for good, solidifying their win.
Norse Notes
- The Norse appeared in their first-ever Division I postseason after a landmark year for the program. NKU finished the regular season at 24-20 and went 11-11 in Horizon League play.
- Sydney Ferrante finished her career ranked in multiple spots in NKU laurels. The third baseman finished third in career doubles (44), sixth in career home runs (17) and sacrifices (29), eighth in career runs (95) and ninth in total bases (262).
- Roberts ends her career as NKU's winningest pitcher in the Division I era with 19 victories. She made 111 career appearances, good for second all-time, and pitched 445.1 innings with 237 strikeouts, both of which rank ninth all-time.
- Senior Kate Bartolovich also ended her career in the batting record book, ranking seventh with 14 career home runs.
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